ANNALS 


THE  ROUND  TABLE 


AND 


OTHER   STORIES. 


BY 

JENNIE    M.    BINGHAM. 


NEW  YORK: 
PHILLIPS    &>    HUNT. 

CINCINNA  TI: 
CRANSTON    &=    STOWE. 


Copyright,  1886,  by 

PHILLIPS    &    HUNT, 

NEW  YORK. 


For  now  I  see  the  old  times  are  not  dead, 
"When  every  morning  brought  a  noble  chance, 
And  every  chance  brought  out  a  noble  knight. 

"But  now  the  whole  Round  Table  is  dissolved." 

A.  TENNYSON. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  How  THEY  ORGANIZED 7 

II.  A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT 15 

III.  A  WHITTIER  NIGHT 29 

IV.  A  DAY  IN  LONDON 43 

V.  SALLY'S  TROUBADOUR 63 

VI.  THEIR  BANQUET 73 

VII.  RECEIVING  NEW-YEAR'S  CALLS 89 

VIII.  A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS. 99 

IX.  HELPING 116 

X.  THEIR  HISTORY-BAG ;  134 

XI.  A  GINGHAM-APRON  EVENING 148 

XII.  GRADUATION 163 

XIII.  LATER 172 

OTHER  STORIES : 

MORNING  GLORIES  AND  SHOES 179 

A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH 189 

A  GRADUATION  SKETCH 199 

A  SKETCH  ON  WHEELS 203 

PRISCILLA  GRIMES'S  CHRISTMAS 210 

ECCLESIASTES  XI,  1 219 

ONE  BEAM 235 

A  GRAIN  OP  MUSTARD-SEED 246 

"  MUCH  REQUIRED." 263 


ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE, 


CHAPTEK    I. 

HOW    THEY     ORGANIZED. 

RAT-TAT-TAT  !  sounded  the  gavel  sharply,  while 
the  president  urged,  "  Now,  girls,  I  propose  that 
we  come  to  order.  The  first  thing  is  to  choose  a 
name  and  then  have  a  constitution." 

"  Let's  have  a  pretty  one,"  said  Prue,  thoughtfully. 

"  '  What's  in  a  name  ? ' : '  demanded  Delia,  with  a 
tragic  gesture. 

"I  have  a  good  ons  to  propose,"  said  Margaret, 
who  was  next  in  the  group.  "  It's  old,  but  all  the 
better  for  that,  because  it  has  a  history.  It's  '  The 
Eound  Table.' " 

"  We  aren't  knights,  and  never  can  be,"  said  the 
next  girl,  laughing  ;  a  round-faced,  happy-hearted  girl 
she  was,  whose  features  slipped  into  a  smile  at  the 
slightest  provocation. 

"  Fact,  ma'am,"  consented  the  last  girl,  who  com- 
pleted the  circle,  a  sober  lass,  with  fierce,  gray  eyes, 
and  hair  and  dress  arranged  with  careless  abandon. 
"  1  propose  '  The  Three-legged  Stool.'  Come,  why 
not?" 


8  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Even  the  president,  clothed  upon  with  dignity  as 
she  was,  could  not  keep  her  gravity,  while  the  others 
laughed  uproariously.  She,  however,  recollected  her- 
self, and  brought  down  her  gavel  quite  decidedly. 

"  Sally,  Sally  ! "  warned  Prue,  gently,  "  remember 
that  I  went  surety  for  your  good  behavior." 

"  Ought  to  have  known  better,"  answered  Sally, 
looking  cross,  and  running  her  fingers  through  her 
hair. 

"  Why  not  name  it  after  some  old  Grecian,  or  some 
— muse,  for  instance  ?"  suggested  Delia,  who  decorated 
her  room  with  Japanese  fans,  and  was  striving  after 
an  ideal. 

"  This  is  not  a  society  for  a-mwse-ment,"  said  Sally, 
turning  on  her  sternly.  "  I  second  the  motion  that 
it  be  '  The  Round  Table,'  any  way,  though  you'll  have 
to  sit  around  one  that  has  eight  corners  when  you 
meet  at  our  house,"  she  added,  by  way  of  making 
amends. 

This  settled  it,  "  The  Round  Table  "  it  was  from 
that  day  down  to  the  present,  though  now  it  exists 
only  as  a  pleasant  memory  with  the  half-dozen  young 
women  who  are  scattered  over  a  continent. 

"  I  just  scribbled  out  a  constitution,  Miss  President, 
which,  with  your  permission,  I  will  read,"  suggested 
Margaret,  reaching  for  her  bag. 

"  O  yes,"  said  Delia,  "  then  we  can  amend  it.  I 
think  amendments  give  a  constitution  such  an  ancient 
air." 


How  THEY  ORGANIZED.  9 

Margaret  unfolded  her  paper  and  began  reading  : 

"  '  Article  I.  This  society  shall  be  called  The  Hound 
Table. 

"  '  Article  II.  Its  object  shall  be  the  mutual  im- 
provement of  its  members.' " 

"  I  rise  to  a  point  of  asking  permission,"-  inter- 
rupted Sally,  rising  to  face  the  president.  "  I  think 
it  ought  to  mean  more.  I  think  it  ought  to  mean 
helping  each  other  out  of  scrapes,  and  standing  by 
each  other  through  thick  and  thin,  and  giving 
each  other  curtain  lectures,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Prue.  "  Why  not  say,  '  Its  object 
shall  be  for  mutual  help,'  and  let  it  mean  a  great 
deal?" 

"  And  not  say  a  word  about  being  literary  ? " 
queried  Delia. 

"  "What's  the  use  ?  "  demanded  Addie.  "  Our  coat 
of  arms  can  be  an  Unabridged  and  an  ink-blotter. 
Speak  louder  than  words.  Sally  said  so." 

"  If  there  are  no  further  remarks  we  will  proceed," 
came  gravely  from  the  chair. 

"  '  Article  III.  Its  officers  shall  be  a  president  and 
secretary,  elected  every  three  months. 

"  '  Article  IY.  The  president  shall  preside  at  all 
meetings  of  The  Round  Table,  and  shall  have  the 
appointing  power.'  This,  girls,  I  confess,  sounds  as 
though  taken  bodily  from  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  but  I  promise  you  it's  original. 


10  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  l  Article  Y.  The  secretary  shall  keep  a  correct  ac- 
count of  the  doings  of  said  society — '  " 

"  I  like  that,"  interrupted  Delia.  "  «  Said  society ' 
sounds  legal." 

"  *  Notify  members  of  their  appointment  to  any  of- 
fice or  for  any  service  of  the  society,  and  preside  in 
the  absence  of  the  president. 

" '  Article  VI.  In  order  to  furnish  the  meetings 
with  entertainment  the  members  will  be  called  upon 
frequently  to  take  part.  By  the  solemn  and  binding 
act  of  signing  the  constitution  they  promise  obedience 
to  the  powers  that  be.' " 

"  Make  it  stronger,-'  said  Sally. 

"  Shall  I  interlude  '  unvarying '  or  '  willing  '  ?  " 
asked  Margaret,  poising  her  pencil. 

"  A  six  syllabler  would  be  better.  I  only  thought 
that  when  orders  came  for  an  essay  on  ancient  Egypt 
or  the  mummies  I  wanted  a  constitution  to  brace  me 
up  for  it." 

"  O,"  sighed  Addie,  "all  the  syllables  in  the  dic- 
tionary couldn't  make  me  equal  to  the  mummies,  so 
don't,  please,"  she  warned,  shaking  her  finger  at  the 
president. 

"The  house  will  come  to  order  for  the  reading 
of  the  constitution,"  said  the  chair,  a  little  se- 
verely. 

"  '  Article  VII.  Any  member  who  shall  depart  this 
single  life  and  enter  the  matrimonial  state,  shall  there- 
after be  considered  an  honorary  member,  having  the 


How  THEY  ORGANIZED.  11 

privilege  of  attending  the  meetings,  but  can  neither 
vote  nor  hold  office.' " 

The  attention  was  breathless  during  the  reading  of 
this  article,  until  Sally  broke  out  with,  "  Bless  me  ! 
Aren't  we  all  to  be  old  maids  ? "  while  they  all 
laughed,  but  not  one  proposed  that  it  be  omitted. 

" '  Article  VIII.  Any  girl  wishing  to  join  this  so- 
ciety must  be  proposed  by  one  of  the  members  at  a 
regular  meeting,  and,  if  she  is  unanimously  voted  in, 
can  attend  next  meeting  of  society,  but  before  any 
exercises,  in  the  presence  of  the  other  members,  she 
must  sign  the  constitution,  thus  vowing  to  uphold  the 
same. 

"  '  Article  IX.  This  society  shall  meet  Friday  even- 
ing of  each  week,  at  which  meeting  such  literary 
exercises  shall  be  held  as  the  society  deems  best.' " 

"  Do  let's  provide  for  a  quorum,"  said  Delia,  bring- 
ing both  elbows  down  decidedly  on  the  table. 

"  And  for  your  sake,  Delia,  we'll  put  it '  Section  1,' 
under  Article  IX.  That  will  be  still  more  like 
grown-up  folks.  '  Two  thirds  of  the  members  shall 
constitute  a  quorum  having  full  power.' 

"  'Article  X.  This  constitution  maybe  amended  at 
any  regular  meeting  of  The  Round  Table. 

" '  In  witness  whereof  we  hereunto  subscribe  our 
names  this  1st  day  of  November,  187 — '  " 

"That's  lovely,"  sighed  Delia. 

"  It  is  a  good  one,  if  I  do  say  it,"  approved  the 
president,  "  and  the  motion  to  adopt  is  in  order." 


12  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

And  then  the  silence  of  the  room  was  broken  only 
by  the  scratching  of  the  official  pen  as  each  girl  in 
turn  sat  in  the  president's  chair  and  solemnly  signed 
her  name : 

"AMELIA  FOSTER,  President,       PETJE  STEVENS, 
"  MARGARET  FOSTER,  Secretary,    ADDIE  STEVENS, 
"DELLA  NICHOLS,  SALLY  SMITH." 

"  I'm  glad  it  has  a  Smith  on  it,"  said  the  president, 
casting  her  eye  approvingly  down  the  list. 

"No  constitution  should  be  without  one,"  declared 
Sally,  with  such  a  grimace  that  Addie  lost  her  last 
vestige  of  gravity.  "  Soberly,  girls,"  she  continued  ; 
"  isn't  it  too  bad  that  such  a  doom  hangs  over  my 
otherwise  brilliant  career.  I  could  tear  out  my 
hair  over  it  if  it  would  do  any  good." 

"  Girls ! "  shouted  Addie,  explosively,  "  we  haven't 
a  motto  !  and  what  shall  our  color  be  ? " 

Each  bright  young  face  became  studious  over  this 
proposition. 

"  Let  it  be  French  or  Latin,  is  my  request,"  said 
Delia. 

"  I  don't  know  any  thing  but  '  Try,  try  again  ! ' " 
said  Addie. 

"I  don't  think  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  our 
Anglo-Saxon,"  said  the  president.  "I  have  just 
thought  of  such  a  good  one  that  father  wrote  in  my 
journal  last  New  Year's.  It's  more  beautiful  in  the 
English  than  Latin,  but  you  who  like  can  use  the 
Latin,  <  Memor  et  Fidelis  '—Mindful  and  Faithful." 


How  THEY  ORGANIZED.  13 

"  Beau-tif ul !  "  said  Prue,  so  far  forgetting  her 
proper  little  self  that  she  clapped  her  hands  loudly,  in 
which  they  all  signified  decided  approval  by  joining. 

"  And,  then,  how  fitting  that  blue  shall  be  the  color. 
It  means  true,  you  know,"  said  Addie. 

The  "  appointing  power,"  after  a  little  conference, 
announced  that  during  her  reign  each  member  must 
respond  to  her  name  at  roll-call  with  a  quotation,  giv- 
ing the  author,  if  known.  She  next  requested  each 
member  to  write  on  a  slip  of  paper  the  name  of  her 
favorite  poet,  and  the  secretary  announced  the  fol- 
lowing result : 

"  Longfellow,  three ;  one  each  for  Whittier,  Phoebe 
Gary,  and  Mother  Goose." 

"  This  was  my  object,"  announced  the  chair,  gra- 
ciously. "  I  thought  it  would  be  nice  to  have  a  night 
devoted  to  our  favorite  poets.  Supposing,  then,  we 
have  a  Longfellow  night  next  Friday.  And,  girls,  I 
don't  want  to  be  fussy,  but  I  do  wish  you  would  ad- 
dress the  chair,  and  put  your  wishes  in  the  form  of  a 
motion,  and  have  it  properly  seconded." 

"  Miss  President,"  said  Addie,  rising,  "  I  move  that 
we  do  it ! " 

"  Miss  President,  so  do  I ! "  continued  Sally, 
promptly. 

"  O  deary  me ! "  moaned  the  chair.  "  After  to- 
night we  must  be  more  parliamentary.  All  who  are 
in  favor  say  'Ay.'  It  seems  to  be  carried  and  is 
carried,  and  the  programme  will  be  announced  later." 


14  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

"  Let  us  always  break  up  with  a  song,"  said  Marga- 
ret, who  was  always  having  happy  thoughts.  "  Come, 
Prue,  preside  at  the  piano,  and  lead  us  in  Holland's 
song,  *  Heaven  is  not  reached  by  a  single  bound.' ': 

And  so  Prue,  in  a  sweet  voice,  led  them  while  they 
sang  what  they  were  all  learning  in  this  every-day 
world : 

"  l  But  we  build  the  ladder  by  which  we  rise 
From  the  lowly  earth  to  the  vaulted  skies ; 
And  we  mount  to  its  summit,  round  by  round.'  " 

And  thus  ended  the  first  meeting  of  "  The  Kound 
Table,"  and  four  happy  girls  tripped  away  from  the 
parsonage  to  their  homes,  for  they  had  met  with  their 
president  and  her  sister  Margaret,  who  were  the 
daughters  of  the  village  minister.  Soon  Delia  turned 
in  before  a  house  with  pleasant  grounds  and  an  im- 
posing front,  for  she  was  the  only  child  of  their  Con- 
gressman, who  wore  an  honorable  before  his  name. 

Prue  and  Addie  strolled  down  farther  to  one  less 
pretentious,  but  somehow  wonderfully  inviting,  where 
two  brothers  filled  out  the  family  circle.  Sally 
trotted  on  until  she  came  to  the  first  village  block. 
In  the  windows  of  the  second  story  some  flowers 
were  blooming.  Near  one  of  them  a  sweet-faced 
woman  was  sewing.  In  these  four  cheery  little 
rooms  lived  a  soldier's  widow  and  his  fatherless 
daughter. 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  15 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    LONGFELLOW    NIGHT. 

Tjl  ARLY  in  the  week  the  secretary  of  "  The  Round 
_L!j  Table"  handed  to  each  member  a  little  slip 
labeled  "  Programme,"  over  which  some  groaned  and 
others  looked  rebellious,  but,  as  the  president  re- 
marked, when  it  was  over,  "  To  your  praise  be  it  said, 
not  one  has  bolted."  During  that  week  six  earnest 
girls  turned  their  faces  toward  Cambridge,  and  re- 
solved that  henceforth  it  should  be  their  Mecca,  and 
in  the  glorious  days  to  come,  when  they,  a  body  of 
rich  and  independent  females,  could  travel  where 
they  chose,  the  first  trip  should  be  a  Longfellow  pil- 
grimage. 

They  met  at  Delia's,  and  a  wild  stormy  night  it 
was. 

"  I  was  so  afraid  you  wouldn't  come,"  said  Delia, 
leading  the  way  to  the  library,  where  a  round  table 
awaited  them,  and  a  bright  fire  welcomed  them. 

"  Did  you  think  '  we  are  such  stuff  as  dreams  are 
made  on  ? '  "  demanded  Margaret,  holding  her  manu- 
script to  dry. 

"  S"1  tough,  that's  a  fact,  but  we're  equal  to  it,"  put 
in  Sally,  with  a  wild  look  in  her  eye. 

"  It  ought  to  be  in  the  constitution  that  puns  are 


16  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

not  allowed,"  said  Addie,  dropping  into  a  chair  quite 
spent  with  laughing. 

"Punish  'em, punish  'em!  "  began  Sally,  severely, 
bringing  her  fist  down  for  emphasis ;  but  the  presi- 
dent interrupted,  briskly : 

"  Now,  girls,  let  us  come  to  order  around  the  table, 
and  then  we  can  have  our  chat  and  confidential  talk 
by  the  fire  later." 

"  I'm  glad  you  are  going  to  have  one,"  said  Sally, 
soberly,  "  for  I've  got  something  to  tell  you  all." 

As  girls  are  the  same  the  world  over,  and  "  The 
Round  Table  "  may  be  suggestive  to  some  of  the  act- 
ive ones  who  would  like  to  read  and  study  and  write 
under  a  little  organization,  it  may  not  be  tiresome  to 
go  into  the  particulars  of  their  first  night. 

In  answer  to  their  names  they  responded,  charac- 
teristically : 

"  '  As  unto  the  bow  the  cord  is, 
So  unto  the  man  is  woman  ; 
Though  she  bends  him,  she  obeys  him, 
Though  she  draws  him,  yet  she  follows, 
Useless  each  without  the  other  ! ' 

Longfellow's  <  Hiawatha,' "  answered*  the  president. 
"  '  That's  what  I  always  say ;  if  you  wish  a  thing  to 
be  well  done,  you  must  do  it  yourself,  you  must  not 
leave  it  to  others  ; '  Longfellow's  '  Courtship  of  Miles 
Standish,' "  said  Margaret. 

'  O 

1 '  Stick  to  facts,  sir !     In  this  life  we  want  noth- 
ing but  facts,  sir  I '  Charles  Dickens,"  from  Sally. 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  17 

"  '  How  far  that  little  candle  throws  its  beams ! 
So  shines  a  good  deed  in  a  naughty  world  ; ' 

Shakespeare,"  from  Addie. 

"  '  Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall, 

Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary; '  m 

Longfellow,"  responded  Delia. 

" '  A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great 
riches,  and  loving  favor  rather  than  silver  and  gold  ; ' 
Bible,"  said  Prue,  in  her  low,  sweet  voice. 

"  The  first  number  on  the  programme  is  l  Life  of 
Longfellow,  in  ten  sentences  of  not  more  than  ten 
words  each.  Delia  Nichols.' ': 

"  Miss  President  and  ladies  :  You  haven't  any  idea 
how  hard  it  is  to  be  scrimped  down  to  a  handful  of 
words.  Just  try  it  and  see.  You  can't  go  into  ec- 
stasies once,  and  as  for  raptures,  you  might  just  as 
well  be  a  foreigner  and  not  know  your  own  lan- 
guage." 

"  Lessons  in  economy  are  good  for  us,  you  know," 
said  the  president,  wisely.  "  We  are  apt  to  waste 
whatever  we  have  in  abundance." 

"  Well,  here  it  is,  and  I  couldn't  say  a  word  about 
his  being  married  twice." 

"  Never  mind,"  advised  Sally.  "  We  didn't  expect 
you  to  bring  in  the  trifles." 

"  '  1.  Longfellow  was  born  in  Portland,  Maine,  in 
180T. 

"  '  2.  His  mother  was  a  descendant  of  John  Alden, 
from  Mayflower. 


18  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

"  '  3.  When  fourteen  years  old  he  entered  Bow- 
doin  College. 

"  '  4:.  Was  graduated  with  Nathaniel  Hawthorne  in 
1825. 

"  < 5.  Began  literary  career  at  twenty-two  by  writ- 
ing for  magazines. 

"  '  6.  Was  called  to  chair  of  modern  languages  in 
Bowdoin  College. 

" '  7.  Accepted,  and  spent  three  years  in  Europe 
preparing. 

•' '  8.  In  1835  was  called  to  Harvard  chair  of  mod- 
ern languages. 

"  '  9.  Resides  in  Cambridge,  very  near  Boston. 

"  '  10.  Lives  in  house  used  by  Washington  as  head- 
quarters in  1775.' " 

It  was  noisily  received  by  the  entire  assembly,  who 
regarded  it  as  a  triumph  of  brevity,  and  a  rare  and 
interesting  biography.  Sally  at  once  declared  that  if 
only  her  eyes  were  a  little  more  microscopic  she  could 
perform  the  feat  of  carrying  the  entire  thing  on  her 
linger  nails. 

"The  second  number,  ladies,"  announced  the  chair, 
"  is,  '  The  recitation  of  her  favorite  short  poem 
from  Longfellow.  Addie  Stevens.' ' 

"  Miss  President :  I  suppose  it's  dreadful  to  own  it, 
but  I  don't  like  poetry  unless  it  has  got  a  story  to  it. 
All  those  about  the  day  being  '  cold  and  dark  and 
dreary '  make  me  yawn,  so  it  didn't  take  me  long  to 
choose  '  Sandalphon,'  and  Harry  heard  me  rehearse." 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  19 

And  then  she  recited  to  her  select  audience  the 
beautiful  legend,  beginning 

"  Have  you  read  in  the  Talmud  of  old." 

"  Why,  Addie,  you're  a  regular  elocutionist,"  cried 
Delia,  enthusiastically.  "  Likely  as  not  you'll  take 
the  stage  some  day,  and  wont  we  be  proud  !  " 

"  Yes,  we  Round  Tablers  will  sit  in  a  proper  row 
on  the  front  seat  and  pelt  flowers  at  you,"  declared 
Sally. 

"  Next  on  the  programme  is,  '  Name  his  principal 
works,  and  tell  any  incidents  of  his  writing.  Mar- 
garet Foster.'  " 

The  girls  showed  that  they  had  been  looking 
up  the  subject  by  suggesting,  whenever  she  hesi- 
tated. 

"  The  only  incident  I  could  find  was  about  the 
'  Skeleton  in  Armor,'  "  continued  Margaret.  "  It 
tells  how  he  and  Julia  Ward  IIo\ve  took  a  horseback 
ride  to  see  the  old  skeleton  in  armor  at  the  museum 
at  Fall  River,  and  how,  on  their  ride  home,  Longfel- 
low challenged  her  to  write  a  poem  about  the  grim 
bones.  She  did  not  accept  the  challenge,  and  a  year 
afterward  he  wrote  the  poem  himself  as  we  have  it. 
It  was  not  considered  worthy  of  his  pen  by  those  to 
whom  he  read  it  in  manuscript,  but  Mrs.  Howe's 
brother  liked  it,  and  took  it  to  New  York  and  sold 
it  to  the  'Knickerbocker  Magazine'  for  fifty  dollars. 
This  pleased  Longfellow  very  much,  as  he  had  not  ex- 


20  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

pected  to  realize  any  thing  from  it.     You  remember 
the  last  scene  is  laid 

'"In  that  tower, 
Which  to  this  very  hour, 
Is  lookiug  seaward.' " 

"  It's  an  interesting  incident,  but  the  poem— O ! " 
shivered  Prue. 

"  Don't  you  like  it  ?  "  demanded  Sally.  "  Why,  it's 
the  best  thing  he  ever  wrote,  by  all  odds.  I  would 
shake  hands  with  him  on  that  alone.  All  about 
'fleshless  palms'  and  'frozen  lairs,'"  she  continued, 
in  a  ghostly  voice.  "  O,  I  can  do  that  splendidly." 

"I  remember  to  have  read,"  began  the  president, 
"  how  he  came  to  write  '  Excelsior.'  The  word  caught 
liis  eye  from  a  torn  scrap  of  paper,  and  at  once  he  be- 
gan to  scribble  down  the  verses  on  the  back  of  a  letter 
lie  had  that  day  received  from  Charles  Sumner.  And 
then,  '  The  Wreck  of  the  Hesperus '  came  sailing  into 
his  mind  one  morning  after  a  fearful  storm  on  the 
sea.  Just  think  how  nice  to  have  a  beautiful  genius 
that  will  come  at  one's  bidding." 

"  I  should  say  so,"  groaned  Addie ;  "  mine's  the  ob- 
stinate kind.  Likely  as  not,  positively  refuses  to  ap- 
pear when  I  smile  my  most  ravishing  at  her." 

"  The  next  number,  ladies,  is, '  The  story  of  Evange- 
line  by  Sally  Smith.'" 

"  I  rise  to  a  point  of  correction,"  responded  Sally. 
"I  am  Sir  Sally  Smith,  if  you  please.  If  we're 
going  to  be  '  The  Round  Table,'  let  us  Ic  The  Hound 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  21 

Table.  "  "What  say  yon,  fellow-citizens  ? "  and  she 
turned  upon  her  convulsed  hearers  a  perfectly  sober 
face. 

"  Will  Sir  Sally  come  to  order,  then,  and  read  her 
paper?"  asked  the  chair,  recovering  herself. 

"  '  Once  upon  a  time,  many,  many  years  ago,  Acadie 
was  the  forest  primeval,'  "  began  Sally,  in  a  sonorous 
voice,  following  with  the  sad  story  of  Evangeline, 
bringing  in  what  she  stopped  to  explain  was  the  best 
part — the  incident  of  the  statue  of  Justice — u  '  a  great 
deal  more  sensible  than  forlorn  lovers  and  loveresses 
straying  around  the  world  after  each  other.' ' 

"  But  how  beautiful  it  is  at  the  closing,"  said  Prue, 
gently,  "  when  she  was  taking  care  of  the  sick  and 
dying  in  the  hospital,  and  found  her  Basil  after  so 
many  years,  and  she  was  so  true  to  him  all  the  while. 
I  wonder,"  she  mused,  with  a  far-away  look  in  her 
blue  eyes,  "  if  it  doesn't  mean  that  our  best  happiness 
will  come  to  us  when  we  are  just  doing  our  duty." 

"  How  nice !  It's  just  like  you,  Prue  dear,  to 
make  a  good  lesson  for  us,"  said  Margaret,  patting 
her  hand  affectionately. 

"  Next  on  the  programme  is,  '  Relate  any  incidents 
of  his  life.  Prue  Stevens.' " 

"  '  There's  a  little  story  about  him  that  I  think  is 
better  than  any  thing  he  ever  wrote.  It  just  makes 
me  love  him.  A  friend  was  one  day  going  into  Long- 
fellow's house,  and  at  the  gate  he  met  a  little  girl, 
who  asked  if  she  could  go  into  the  yard,  so  that  she 


22  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

might  see  Mr.  Longfellow  through  the  library-win- 
dow. He  told  her  she  might,  and,  going  into  the 
house,  found  Mr.  Longfellow  in  a  part  of  the  room 
not  visible  from  the  window.  He  told  Mr.  Long- 
fellow about  the  little  girl  outside,  to  which  the  poet 
answered,  '  A  little  girl  who  wants  to  see  me  ? '  and 
then  he  opened  the  door  (O  girls!  don't  you  wish  it 
had  been  you  ? )  and  called  her  in,  and  talked  beauti- 
fully to  her,  and  showed  her  the  room  where  Martha 
Washington  held  her  receptions  a  hundred  years  ago, 
and  the  '  old  clock  on  the  stair,'  and  the  chair  that 
the  school-children  gave  him,  and  all  his  treasures.  I 
think  it's  as  beautiful  as  a  fairy-story,"  said  Prue, 
earnestly,  forgetting  her  timid  little  self  in  her 
interest. 

"  The  last  number  is, '  Write  the  story  of  the  Court- 
ship of  Miles  Standish.'  And  this  I  have  tried  to  do, 
bringing  in  much  of  the  text,  and,  girls,  remember 
that  as  he  was  a  descendant  of  John  Alden,  it  was  a 
part  of  his  family  history."  She  fairly  caught  the 
rhythm  of  that  measure  which  reminds  one  of  the  roll 
of  old  ocean  itself,  and  spoke  of  "  Plymouth  Rock," 
the  corner-stone  of  the  nation,  and  brought  ont 
"  Why  don't  you  speak  for  yourself,  John  ? "  in  its 
most  startling  light. 

Programme  ended,  they  passed  about  their  col- 
lected pictures ;  for  one  had  his  photograph,  another 
a  picture  of  his  house  and  an  interior  view  of  his 
library,  and  an  engraving  of  Evangeline,  which  Sally 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  23 

declared  she  would  have  identified  on  the  sands  of 
Sahara ;  and  closed  with  Longfellow's  contribution  to 
college  songs, 

"  The  shades  of  night  were  falling  fast," 

while  Addie  beat  time  with  the  tongs. 

"Now,  Sally,  do  tell  us  the  news,"  said  Addie, 
exchanging  her  tongs  for  Sally's  arm,  and  taking  a 
seat  near  her.  "We're  consuming  with  curiosity 
over  it  ? " 

"It's  time  for  Part 'Second  now,  isn't  it?  "asked 
Margaret,  turning  the  chairs  toward  the  fire. 

"  Well,"  began  Sally,  taking  a  place  on  the  hassock 
and  leaning  an  elbow  in  Prue's  lap,  "  you  know  how 
the  knights  of  the  real  Round  Table  went  through 
the  world  helping  every  body.  O,  wouldn't  it  be 
glorious  if  we  could  call  out  some  gallant  steed  and 
gird  on  our  mail,  and  start  off  setting  things  to  rights 
in  this  world.  But  we  can't ! "  stopping  to  sigh. 
"All  the  charger  I've  got  is  a  saw-horse;  but  I've 
happened  on  what  I  call  a  chance  for  us,  all  the  same. 
You  know  Sailor  Jake  and  his  Betty.  Well  she — 
poor  thing ! — can't  ever  walk  any  more." 

"  O  !  "  said  the  chorus,  while  Delia  glanced  down  at 
her  own  shapely,  well-clad  feet.  "No;  and  I've 
been  wondering  why  we  couldn't  have  her  for  our 
protegee,  as  it  were.  Get  little  treats  for  her  and 
make  her  corner  brighter.  And  then,  there's  an- 
other thing — sailor  Jake  does  drink  sometimes. 
He  doesn't  mean  to,  and  Betty  whispered  to  mo 


24  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

the  day  the  doctor  said  she  couldn't  walk  any 
more,  that  the  hardest  thing  to  bear  was  that  she 
couldn't  go  down  to  meet  her  father  and  get  him  by 
the  saloon,  for  you  see,  if  once  he  gets  by,  when  he 
comes  from  work,  he's  all  right  for  that  day.  I 
couldn't  comfort  her  as  you  wouldj  Prudy,  if  you 
had  been  there  (you  know  I  always  say  the  wrong 
thing) ;  but  I  told  her  not  to  worry,  and  I  would  do 
my  level  best,  and,  girls,  he  hasn't  been  in  but 
once  the  last  week.  Last  night  he  had  his  hand  on 
the  latch  before  I  saw  him,  and  I  just  groaned  and 
thought  it  was  '  all  day '  with  him ;  but  I  ran  down 
the  walk,  and  says,  { O,  Mr.  Burns,  how's  Betty  ? ' 
(I  had  just  come  from  there.  Was  it  wicked, 
Prudy  ?)  '  And  here's  some  soup  I  haven't  time  to 
carry  up  now.'  He  just  let  go  of  the  latch,  and  said, 
'  Thank  ye,  thank  ye,'  and  trotted  straight  up  stairs. 
Wasn't  I  glad  ?  I  could  have  sung  the  doxology  that 
minute,  though  I  never  can  get  the  tune.  The  end 
of  my  story  is,  that  I  wish  you  would  all  speak  to 
him.  Ask  him  about  Betty,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing. 
Seeing  as  how  we  are  nothing  but  girls,  we  can't  go 
to  Congress  and  annihilate  whisky;  but  perhaps  we  can 
help  keep  him  right,  for  it  does  delight  him  so  to  ask 
about  Betty,  and  that's  all." 

To  every  body's  surprise,  Prue  jumped  up,  threw 
both  arms  around  Sally's  neck,  and  kissed  her  loudly, 
saying  never  a  word. 

"How  perfectly  splendid!"   cried   Delia;   "I've 


A  LONGFELLOW  NIGHT.  25 

learned  how  to  make  a  lovely  pudding  for  sick  folks. 
Let  us  all  go  and  see  her." 

"  And,  girls,"  continued  Sally,  "  you  mns?n't  turn 
up  your  noses,  for  it's  a  stuffy  little  room,  and  smells 
horribly  of  tobacco  smoke.  Her  old  aunt  is  a  regu- 
lar chimney,  not  to  mention  snuff." 

"  O,  dear,  isn't  it  dreadful !  "  sighed  Delia,  waving 
back  an  invisible  cloud. 

"  But  Betty  is  just  as  nice  as  she  can  be,  Sally  says, 
and  so  pale,"  put  in  Prue,  gently. 

"  Let  us  adopt  her,"  proposed  Addie. 

"  Margaret,  do  you  remember  our  verse  this  morn- 
ing \ "  asked  Amelia,  glancing  up  at  their  motto, 
which  Delia  had  executed  in  ferns,  above  the 
mantel. 

"  I  was  just  thinking  of  '  Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens,'  but  I  hadn't  thought  of  going  outside  '  The 
Round  Table'  with  it.  Sally  is  right,  though.  I 
didn't  know  she  could  talk  so  good.  It  is  just  what 
we  need  to  keep  us  from  getting  selfish.  Girls,  let 
us  do  it." 

"  Ay  !  ay  ! "  answered  a  hearty  chorus,  at  which 
Sally  arose  and  gave  each  member  a  stately  hand- 
shake. 

"  I  have  something  on  my  mind,  too,"  began  Delia, 
looking  off  into  the  fire  at  what  seemed  to  be  a  per- 
plexing vision.  "  You  know — how  kind  Fred  has 
always  been  to  me.  Well,  since  he  was  expelled 
from  school  he  has  been  growing  wild  dreadfully 


26  ANNALS  or  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 

fast.  Last  Saturday,  when  we  rode  out,  he  owned 
that  lie  had  been  to  a  champagne  party  the  night 
before.  And,  O,  girls !  isn't  it  dreadful  ?  And  what 
shall  we  do  3 " 

"  Cut  him,  once  and  forever,"  said  Amelia,  severe- 
ly. "  Let  us  resolve  not  to  speak  to  any  young  man 
of  bad  habits." 

"  But  he  has  the  kindest  heart,"  began  Delia,  a  lit- 
tle tartly,  taking  up  the  gauntlet  in  his  defense,  "  and 
it's  easy  for  you  who  have  brothers  and  sisters  to  say 
it ;  and  I've  known  him  for  years  and  years." 

"  He  hasn't  any  mother,  you  know,"  suggested 
Prue,  sadly. 

"  And  we  none  of  us  thought  he  ought  to  be  ex- 
pelled. It  was  just  a  bit  of  a  frolic,"  added  Mar- 
garet. 

"  O,  Sally,  can't  you  think  of  something  to  do  ?" 
implored  Delia. 

"  Margaret,  why  wouldn't  your  father  speak  to  the 
professor.  He's  used  to  waving  an  olive-branch. 
You  know  exactly  how  it  happened,  and  that  he 
wasn't  half  to  blame.  Getting  him  back  into  school 
is  his  salvation,"  answered  Sally,  in  a  prompt  way, 
that  decided  things.  "  And  then  I  will  run  a  race 
with  him  in  geometry ;  and,  Delia,  I  am  sure  you 
will  have  a  chance  to  let  him  know  how  we  feel  '  on 
these  great  moral  questions,'  as  the  lecturer  says. 
Talk  against  the  boys  of  his  wild  set,  and  say  that  all 
the  nice  girls  (isn't  that  proper  modest  for  you  ?)  are 


A  LONGFELLOW  XIGHT.  27 

going  to  cut  them.  Fred  is  a  good  fellow,  and  we 
wont  give  him  up  to  the  bad  yet  awhile,  if  we  know 
ourselves,"  shaking  her  fist  defiantly. 

"  What  an  old  dear  you  are  to  think  of  every 
thing ! "  cried  Delia,  sinking  back  in  her  chair ; 
"  I  was  afraid  you  would  set  up  some  Mede-and- 
Persian  law  about  it,  and  advise  me  to  do  things 
I  wouldn't  want  to,  but  I  might  have  known  bet- 
ter." 

"  The  brave  Round  Tablers  used  to  have  titles  in 
the  old  days.  Let  us  give  her  a  B.B.  at  the  end  of 
her  name — burden-bearer,"  said  Amelia,  by  way  of 
giving  tacit  approval. 

"  Spare  me  !  O  spare  me  ! "  cried  Sally,  wildly. 
"Those  who  know  me  best  wrill  understand  it  to 
mean  bad,  bad.  Do  I  deserve  such  a  punishment  ? 
I  throw  myself  on  your  mercy." 

"  As  to  Fred,"  said  Margaret,  when  the  merriment 
had  subsided,  "  I  will  do  my  part.  I  know  the  profess- 
or liked  him.  He's  peppery,  but  he  cools  off  quick  ; 
and,  girls,  let  us  keep  quiet  about  it.  Boys  don't  like 
to  owe  any  thing  to  girls,  and  I  think  it's  splendid  of 
them.  Let  him  think  it  came  about  of  itself." 

"TVont  it  be  fun,"  laughed  Addie,  "to  see  Fred 
and  Sally  trying  to  beat  each  other  on  theorems? 
I  know  Sally  will  have  the  most.  She  can  make 
them  out  of  any  thing.  She  never  sees  two  sticks 
set  up  but  that  it  means  a  new  demonstration  of 
a  theorem." 


28  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  Bless  me ! "  frowned  Sally,  "  I  ouglit  to  have 
something  to  make  up  for  a  stupid  head  in  French, 
and  all  my  scrapes.  If  old  Euclid  went  back  on  me 
I  would  be  a  dismal  bankrupt.  Come,  meet  with  me 
at  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  next  week,"  she  added, 
as  they  rose  to  go. 


A  "WHITTIEK  NIGHT.  29 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    WHITTIER    NIGHT. 

WHEN  next  Delia  accepted  the  invitation  to  ride 
behind  Fred's  gray  pony  she  lapsed  into  silence 
that  caused  him  to  say, 

"  Is  it  being  literary  that  makes  you  so  glum  ?  and 
what  sort  of  a  table  is  it  ?  and  aren't  you  ever  going 
to  invite  the  boys  to  surround  it  with  you  ?  Hope 
you  will  have  something  good  to  eat  on  it." 

"  We  certainly  shall  not  have  any  thing  '  good  to 
drink,'  as  you  boys  say,"  answered  Delia,  seizing  the 
opportunity  ;  "  and,  among  other  things,  we  have  re- 
solved to  cut  the  boys  who  are  growing  so  wild.  It 
will  be  the  only  way  we  can  show  our  disapproval  of 
sprees  and  all  the  other  dreadful  things  that  ruin 
young  men  and  drive  their  friends  to  distraction." 

"  Bless  the  innocents  ! "  and  Fred  threw  back  his 
head  and  laughed  loudly. 

"  I  didn't  think  you  could  be  bad  enough  to  laugh 
at  us,"  said  Delia,  feeling  a  strong  inclination  to  cry. 

"  Forgive  me  ;  but  it  seemed  so  comical  to  think 
of  six  girls  starting  out  to  reform  the  world.  No 
objections,  of  course.  I  suppose  you'll  begin  with 
this  sinner,"  hesitating  a  lit.tle,  and  stealing  a  look  at 
Delia's  flushed  cheeks. 


30  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  No,  Fred,  we  wont  own  that  you  belong  there." 

"  On  trial,  eh  ?  That's  the  fair  tiling.  Come,"  he 
added,  breaking  in  on  another  silence ;  "  what's  the 
use  of  being  squeamish  ?  College  is  nix  now.  By 
and  by,  I  suppose,  I  shall  get  into  business.  Mean- 
time I'm  going  to  have  a  little  fun." 

"  O  no ! "  protested  Delia,  "  college  isn't  nix.  My 
father  says  you  mus'n't  give  it  up  ;  and  Sally  says  she 
would  like  to  beat  you  in  geometry.  She  rather 
thinks  she  can." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  her.  Beaten  by  a  girl !  Come, 
that's  too  much.  But  there's  no  use  talking  about 
such  nonsense  now.  I  was  going  to  burn  old  Euclid 
yesterday  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  but — " 

"  O,  you  didn't,  I  know." 

"No,  I  was  afraid  I'd  be  haunted  by  his  ghost,  so 
I  kicked  him  into  a  chest." 

"  There,  that's  a  good  omen.  "We  know  you  will 
be  back  in  school  again.  Margaret  says — but  I  sup- 
pose yon  don't  care  what  she  says,  since  you  laugh 
at  us." 

"  Ton  my  word  I  don't  laugh  at  you.  I  never 
was  farther  from  such  a  thing  in  my  life.  Needn't 
tell  me  unless  you  want  to." 

"  But  I  do  want  to,  because  I  don't  forget  how 
kind  you  were  to  me  when  I  needed  a  friend,  and  I  do 
so  want  you  to  go  to  college  and  walk  off  with  all  the 
honors,  and  be  a  credit  to  your  friends  generally  ;  for 
I  just  know  you  can." 


A   WlHTTIEK    ^IGHT.  31 

"  Fiddle-sticky!     Well,  what  did  she  say  ? " 

"  O,  Margaret  ?  Well,  she  said  you  were  treated 
unjustly,  and  if  only  you  had  been  a  trifle  less  hasty, 
he  wouldn't  have  come  down  on  you  so  heavily, 
and  she  is  sure  he  misses  you,  and  wants  to  get  you 
back." 

"  So  you  girls  have  been  discussing  me,  have  you  ? " 

"  Why — yes,"  owned  Delia,  wondering  what  pen- 
ance '  The  Round  Table '  tribunal  would  inflict  on 
her  for  that  disclosure." 

"  What  a  tremendous  secret  league  it  is !  And 
they  thought  I  had  better  eat  humble-pie,  I  reckon." 

"  They  didn't  say  any  thing  of  the  kind.  But  they 
are  sure  if  the  professor  meets  you  in  a  manly  way, 
you  will  do  your  part  fair  and  square,  as  you  always 
have!" 

"  What  a  wheedler !  Just  say  to  them,  with  my 
compliments,  that  I  can't  come  up  to  their  standard. 
O,  it's  easy  enough  for  you  girls  to  sit  back  in  a  rock- 
ing-chair, and  tell  others  to  behave  themselves." 
And  he  cut  some  reckless  curves  on  the  new  snow 
with  his  whip,  not  owning  even  to  himself  that  he 
was  growing  stronger  every  minute,  and  down  in  his 
secret  soul  had  a  half-formed  purpose  to  be  all  that 
"  The  Round  Table,"  though  they  were  only  girls, 
believed  him  capable  of  being. 

"We  don't  sit  back  in  rocking-chairs,  and  you 
were  never  a  girl,  and  don't  know  their  trials;  so 
there.  Sally  is  coming  over  to-night  to  show  me  a 


32  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

new   recipe  for  molasses  candy,"  said  Delia,  as  he 
stopped  before  her  door ;  "  come  'cross  lots  and  help 

us." 

"  I  had  an  engagement,"  frowned  Fred. 

"  I'm  sure  you  can  break  it  this  once.  Sally  will 
want  to  compare  geometry  notes  with  you.  She's 
got  a  new  demonstration  for  theorem  thirty-nine  that 
is  perfectly  new  and  perfectly  lovely,  she  says.  I'm 
so  stupid  I  can't  even  know  when  it  comes  out  right ; 
but  Sally—" 

"  She  is  a  first-class  girl,  and  a  lion  in  geometry. 
Well,  I'll  see." 

Little  lame  Betty,  in  her  third-story  coop,  might 
have  thought  that  the  very  clouds  rained  callers.  The 
day  following  the  meeting  every  member  of  "  The 
Hound  Table  "  found  their  way  up  the  long  flights  of 
stairs  with  all  sorts  of  offerings.  Delia,  after  work- 
ing .heroically  over  a  new  and  complicated  pudding, 
which  was  not  altogether  a  success,  handed  it  in  at 
the  door  to  the  old  aunt,  who  opened  it  a  matter  of 
an  inch  or  so,  and  grunted  a  reply  which  might  have 
been  thanks,  but  which  Delia  thought  sounded  like 
disapproval.  The  hall  was  dark  and  dirty,  suffering 
always  made  her  nervous,  and — well,  she  wondered  if 
keeping  Fred  straight  wouldn't  be  her  part.  Of 
course  Sally  ran  up  for  a  morning  call,  with  a  pet 
cat  under  each  arm,  to  explain  that  the  girls  were  so 
sorry  for  her,  and  would  try  to  help  her  bear  it. 
The  sisters  from  the  parsonage  took  a  story-book  and 


A  WHITTIEK  NIGHT.  33 

some  apples,  but  were  much  shocked  to  find  that  she 
could  not  read.  Somehow  Amelia's  exclamation, 
"  You  don't  read  ! "  made  a  long,  long  distance  be- 
tween the  low  cot  and  the  visitors'  stools.  After  that, 
how  could  they  get  on,  and  the  call  was  happily 
shortened,  over  which  Betty  heard  several  breaths  of 
relief.  Amelia  declared  to  Margaret,  as  soon  as  they 
were  safely  outside,  that  there  was  really  no  excuse 
for  such  ignorance.  At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  they 
met  Prue  and  Addie  going  up,  and  stopped  to  ex- 
change notes. 

"Sally  deserves  a  great  deal  of  credit,"  said 
Amelia,  with  a  new  and  convincing  sense  of  what 
real  charity  is. 

"We  ought  not  to  expect  gratitude,  I  suppose, 
but  one  does  like  to  have  their  things  appreciated," 
said  Margaret,  looking  down  at  her  book,  and  snif- 
fing at  her  muff  to  see  how  much  smoky  atmosphere 
it  had  absorbed. 

"  Prue,  let's  leave  ours  at  the  door  and  run  away," 
advised  Addie ;  "  I've  got  a  real  pretty  picture,  and 
was  going  to  bring  my  pet  motto,  '  Eat,  Drink,  and 
be  Merry,'  but  Tom  didn't  think  it  was  very  appro- 
priate, and  told  me  I  had  better  have  '  prayer  and 
potatoes  go  together,'  "  laughing  so  contagiously  that 
they  all  joined. 

"You  may  turnback  if  you  choose,  but  I  am  going 
in,"  said  Prue,  so  decidedly,  that  Addie  nodded  good- 
bye to  the  girls  and  clung  to  Prue.  Imagine  Addie's 
3 


34  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

surprise  to  see  timid  Prue  march  straight  up  to  the 
bed,  throw  both  arms  around  Betty's  neck,  and  kiss 
her  tenderly,  and  then  offer  her  hand  gravely  to 
sailor  Jake,  who  took  it  awkwardly,  with  a  "  How 
are  ye,  my  pretty  ?  how  are  ye  ?  "  Next  she  opened 
her  bundle,  which  proved  to  be  a  real  doll,  all  in 
pink  and  blue,  with  a  dainty  bonnet  and  a  bundle  of 
extra  clothes.  Betty  just  clutched  it  wildly,  and  gave 
such  a  pathetic  little  squeal  of  delight,  that  Addie, 
who  was  in  the  background,  sniffed  audibly,  for  she 
cried  as  easily  as  she  laughed.  Sailor  Jake  was  sud- 
denly transferred  to  the  seventh  heaven.  In  turn  he 
beamed  on  Betty  and  Prue,  shouting  hoarsely, "  Haint 
she  trim?  Haint  she  a  beauty?"  It  was  wonderful 
how  Prue  developed  sick-room  talent  in  that  half- 
hour.  She  did  not  shrink  from  the  soiled  pillow-case, 
but  shook  it  up  with  comforting  little  pats,  and 
smoothed  out  the  old  blanket  with  deft  gentle  hands, 
"  to  that  degree  it  was  just  refreshing  to  see  her," 
Addie  declared.  "Prue  Stevens!"  she  shouted,  be- 
fore they  were  fairly  off  from  the  stairs, "  don't  you 
know  that  you  grew  just  like  mother  every  minute 
we  were  in  there.  You  towered  up  like  a  giant, 
and  made  me  feel  like  a  pigmy.  What  queer  old 
people  they  are,  and  aren't  you  afraid  of  scarlet  fever 
or  diphtheria  or  something?" 

"  Not  one  bit,  and  I'm  just  as  happy  as  I  can  be," 
answered  Prue  so  blissfully  that  Addie  felt  a  strong 
desire  to  hug  her,  then  and  there. 


A  WHITTIEK  NIGHT.  35 

Through  that  week  Sally,  of  course,  did  not  go  up, 
as  she  had  laid  the  matter  on  "  The  Round  Table," 
and  was  struggling  with  a  new  theorem  that  quite 
filled  her  attention.  Delia  was  not  brave  enough  to 
attempt  another  pudding,  and  thought  she  had  her 
hands  full  with  Fred  and  an  essay  on  Whittier. 
Amelia  and  Margaret  were  too  busy,  and  reasoned 
that,  as  Sally  was  so  near  and  had  championed  the 
case,  she  would  let  them  know  of  any  special  need. 
Addie — well — Ad  die  neglected  it,  as  she  did  every 
thing  else,  and  had  it  not  been  for  Prue  and  the  pink- 
and-blue  dolly,  which  was  really  "  a  thing  of  beauty" 
and  "a  joy  forever,"  poor  Betty  might  have  languished 
in  silence  in  spite  of  six  sworn  knights. 

On  their  Friday  night  (and,  from  this  time  on,  they 
quite  believed  that  this  night  had  been  created  and 
slipped  into  the  calendar  of  the  week  just  for  them) 
Sally  welcomed  them,  with  a  great  flourish  of  trum- 
pets, to  the  "  palace  of  the  Caesars,"  and  a  delightful 
evening  they  spent  in  the  little  square  rag-carpeted 
parlor,  talking  about  the  dear  old  Quaker  poet.  Sally 
convulsed  them- with  a  much-gestured  rendering  of 
"  Barbara  Frietchie,"  but  grew  truly  eloquent  telling 
how  Whittier  wrote  and  suffered  and  lived  for  free- 
dom and  tuned  his  sweetest  songs  in  behalf  of  de- 
spised slaves. 

"  That's  why  I  love  him,  big  hat,  thees,  thous, 
and  all,"  shouted  Sally,  pounding  loudly  on  the 
table. 


36  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Amelia,  who  had  carefully  looked  up  the  subject, 
told  them  many  interesting  things  connected  with  his 
simple  life:  how  he  tried  to  teach  school  for  a  living, 
but  the  rough  boys  of  the  district  were  too  much  for 
him;  and  how  he  thought  "Snow- Bound"  a  very 
indifferent  piece  of  verse,  and  was  ashamed  to  own 
"Maud  Muller;"  and  when  a  publisher  offered  him 
five  hundred  dollars  for  the  copyright  of  his  poems, 
Whittier  thought  the  man  must  be  crazy. 

Prue  had  picked  up  a  little  incident  about  his  vis- 
iting one  of  the  Berkshire  schools,  when  a  little  girl 
couldn't  think  of  the  fourth  province  of  Ireland. 
When  the  teacher  wasn't  looking,  Whittier  patted  his 
Ulster  significantly,  and  she  burst  out  with  "  O,  yes, 
I  know  now ;  'tis  Overcoat ! " 

These  and  many  more  bits  of  information,  that 
make  us  grow  to  feel  acquainted  with  the  wise 
men  who  have  sung  and  wrote  and  talked  for  the 
world,  were  given  on  this  occasion. 

Last  on  the  programme,  Addie  read  "  Snow- 
Bound/'  Those  who  had  read  it  before  declared  that 
they  had  never  known  what  a  beautiful  and  perfect 
picture  it  was. 

"  Why,  we  have  only  to  shut  our  eyes  and  there  it 
is,"  mused  Delia,  drooping  her  lids:  "the  clean-swept 
hearth  and  the  red  logs  and  the  roaring  of  the  north 
wind,  and  '  the  house-dog  on  his  paws  outspread,'  and 
the  family  basking  in  the  chimney's  ruddy  glow.  If 
I  were  an  artist  I  should  paint  it." 


A  WHITTIER  XIGHT.         '  37 

Before  they  left  "  Snow-Bound "  they  determined 
to  learn,  and  keep  in  the  memory  as  a  memento  of 
their  Whittier  night,  that  little  extract,  beginning : 

"  Alas  for  him  who  never  sees 
The  stars  shine  through  his  cypress-trees ! 

Who,  hopeless,  lays  his  dead  away, 

Nor  looks  to  see  the  breaking  day 

Across  the  mournful  marbles  play  I 
Who  hath  not  learned  in  hours  of  faith 

The  truth  to  flesh  and  sense  unknown, 
That  Life  is  ever  lord  of  Death, 

And  Love  can  never  lose  its  own  1 " 

Then,  they  stored  it  away  as  a  beautiful  poetic 
sentiment.  Now,  as  they  have  shared  the  common 
lot,  and  touched  life's  sadder  experiences,  they  have 
proven  it  to  be  a  truth. 

"  We  must  go  to  Amesbury,"  said  Delia,  making  a 
note  on  the  margin  of  her  manuscript. 

"  Delia,  Whittier  wouldn't  lift  his  hat  to  us,"  said 
Addie,  suddenly. 

"  Fact ! "  answered  Sally.  "  Then  it  is  against  our 
principles  to  go." 

"  This  brings  me  to  what  I  wanted  to  say,"  began 
Delia,  reaching  down  for  a  formidable  book,  labeled 
"Decorum."  "It  seems  to  me  that,  as  young  ladies  in 
good  and  regular  standing,  we  ought  to  put  this  plank 
into  our  platform.  We  want  to  be  proper,  of  course." 

Sally  opened  her  mouth  for  speech,  but  remained 
silent,  rolling  her  eyes  to  the  ceiling  in  a  way  that 
looked  volumes. 


38  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

"  Must  I  stop  laughing  ? "  asked  Addie,  eying  tlie 
book  anxiously. 

"  Yes.  How  many  giggles  a  day  are  allowable  ? " 
asked  Sally,  gravely.  "  Prue,  you  can't  cool  your 
coffee  in  your  saucer  any  more,  and,  Margaret,  you 
will  have  to  straighten  your  collar  and  round  your 
finger-nails." 

"Of  course,  you  needn't  take  this  up  unless  you 
want  to,"  added  Delia,  looking  so  hurt  that  Margaret 
hastened  to  say : 

"  Yes,  girls ;  Delia's  right.  We  do  want  to  be 
ladies  in  all  the  little  things.  The  suggestion  is  a 
good  one." 

"But  that  title  looks  so  dreadful,"  moaned  Addie  ; 
"  it's  fairly — depressing." 

"  Don't  you  think,"  began  Prue  in  her  low  voice, 
"that  if  we  are  really  'mindful,'  as  our  motto  says, 
and  try  to  have  hearts  of  charity,  as  we  heard  about 
last  Sunday,  that  we  shall  keep  from  offending 
people  ? " 

"  You  old  dear !  Of  course  we  shall,"  said  Amelia, 
impulsively.  "  I  do  think  that  for  every  day  our 
motto  is  the  best  rule  of  etiquette  we  could  have ; 
but  supposing  we  ask  Delia  to  keep  posted  on  mat- 
ters of  giving  invitations  and  special  courtesies,  arid 
then  we  can  bring  up  our  questions  at  our  talks,  and 
have  her  for  reference,"  she  added,  showing  a  happy 
gift  of  tact. 

"Just  the  thing,"  said  Sally,  reaching  over  to  clasp 


A  WHITTIER  KIGHT.  39 

Delia's  hand.  "Forgive  me;  I  didn't  mean  to  hurt 
you,  and  I  know  I  need  a  whole  library  of  deco- 
rums." 

Thus  appeased,  Delia  smiled  graciously,  for  she 
couldn't  stay  grieved  long,  and  the  little  lesson,  that 
young  people  cannot  all  be  trained  on  one  string  any 
more  than  plants  can,  was  good  for  her. 

"  As  to  Fred,"  said  Delia,  proudly,  "  we  have 
every  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves." 

"  Yes,  he  challenged  me  to-day,"  said  Sally,  "  and  I 
smell  powder  on  the  breeze." 

"  Remember  that  you  carry  the  mail  of  a  Round 
Tabler,"  warned  Margaret,  raising  her  hands  impress- 
ively. 

"  Who  has  been  to  see  Betty  ? "  asked  Sally. 

"  I,"  answered  the  chorus  promptly ;  and  then  they 
each,  in  turn,  told  their  experience,  except  Prue,  who 
had  very  little  to  say,  as  usual. 

"  If  we  haven't  gone  off  like  a  fire-cracker — all  at 
one  stroke,"  laughed  Sally,  taking  in  the  situation. 
"  Prue,  I  hope  you  didn't  carry  her  the  '  History 
of  Egypt,'  or  something  equally  juvenile  and  inter- 
esting." 

"  ]STo,  I'm  most  ashamed  to  tell,  because  I  suppose 
it  wasn't  a  very  literary  thing  to  do ;  but  she  was  so 
glad  over  it.  It  was  my  pink-and-blue  doll." 

"  How  splendid  !     Just  the  thing." 

"  And  Prue  ran  up  yesterday,"  began  Addie ;  "and 
sailor  Jake  said  it  had  done  her  more  good  than  all 


40  ANNALS    OF    THE   ROUND   TABLE. 

the  medicine  in  all  the  world.  And  actually,  girls, 
Prue  knew  just  what  to  do,  if  she  is  my  sister." 

"  I  don't  deserve  a  speck  of  praise,"  protested  Prue, 
"  because  I  just  love  to  care  for  sick  folks.  I  never 
had  any  thing  but  cats  and  canaries,  excepting  when 
mother  had  sick  headache." 

"  I've  always  known  that  Prue  thought  I  was 
dreadfully  unaccommodating  to  persist  in  staying  so 
well,"  continued  Addle. 

"  I — I  almost  feel  like  telling  you  my  secret,"  said 
Prue,  hesitatingly,  turning  "  rosy  red  "  with  the  effort 
it  cost  her. 

"  O  do,"  said  the  chorus,  in  a  beseeching  way,  that 
couldn't  help  but  invite  confidence. 

"  I  want  to  be  a  doctor  some  day,"  began  Prue, 
looking  up  at  the  soldier  portrait,  over  which  the 
stars  and  stripes  were  always  draped  ;  "  O,  do  you 
think  it  will  be  dreadful  ?  Or  else  a  trained  nurse. 
I'm  sure  I  would  rather  be  Florence  Nightingale, 
with  sick  soldiers  loving  my  shadow,  and  wanting  me 
to  care  for  them,  than  any  kind  of  a  queen.  Please 
don't  think  I'm  strong-minded — and — and — dreadful. 
I  can't  help  feeling  so." 

"  How  we  shall  be  honored,"  said  Margaret.  "  I 
hope  you  will  be  allopathic." 

"Prue  Stevens,  M.D.,"  shouted  Sally.  "O  the 
glory  of  it !  Already  mine  eyes  behold  the  gilded 
sign  and  the  green  cotton  umbrella  and  the  medicine 
satchel." 


A  WHITTIEB  XIGHT.  41 

"I  should  like  it  myself,"  commented  Delia,  twirling 
her  amethyst  thoughtfully,  "if  people  were  not  very 
sick,  and  never  sent  for  you  when  they  were  hurt." 

"  You  might  advertise  on  your  sign,  '  Light  cases 
speedily  attended  to,  and  please  don't  come  when  I 
am  tired,'  "  suggested  Sally. 

"  Ko,  Sally,"  said  Prue,  shaking  her  head  decided- 
ly, "  I  have  thought  it  all  over,  and  I  believe  I  cuuld 
stand  even  the  hurts  if  I  had  been  trained  just  how 
to  bind  up  wounds  and  pour  in  oil  and  wine.  And 
this  has  its  compensation,  for  doctors  relieve  more 
suffering  than  they  cause." 

"  And  all  this  is  the  reason  you  grind  away  at 
Latin,  and  are  so  conscientious  and  particular  about 
it,  when  you  don't  like  it  ? "  asked  Amelia. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  need  it  some  day,"  looking  up  so 
brave  and  strong  ;  "  and  O,  girls,  the  best  part  is 
that  you  can  get  near  to  people  and  help  the  poor 
and  unfortunate  and  those  that  are  bad  because  every 
thing's  always  been  against  them/' 

"  Prue,  you're  a  really  truly  preacher ! "  said  Mar- 
garet, breaking  the  pause  that  had  suddenly  fallen  on 
the  little  group,  while  they  gazed  with  astonished 
eyes  at  their  timid  Prue,  and  felt  that  she  was  fast 
growing  to  be  their  leader  in  strong  purpose  and 
courage. 

"  And  Betty  is  your  first  patient,"  said  Amelia. 

"  Yes,  Dr.  Prue ;  you  take  the  case  and  hold  us  at 
your  service,"  suggested  Sally. 


42  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

"  O  no,"  protested  Prue,  quite  alarmed  ;  "  it's  only 
playing  now.  Real  doctors  never  carry  dolls  for 
medicine,  nor  sing  lullaby  songs  to  their  patients 
when  they  get  nervous.  If  I  were  a  real  doctor,"  she 
added,  glancing  up  at  Delia,  "  I  should  prescribe  a 
ride." 

"  She  shall  have  it,"  answered  Delia,  promptly, 
"since  her  physician  orders  it." 

"  Please  let  it  be  a  very  quiet  secret.  I  couldn't 
bear  to  have  people  talking  it  over,  and  calling  it  a 
childish  notion,  because  I  was  never  so  in  earnest  in 
my  life ; "  looking  quite  distressed  at  the  possibility  of 
such  a  thing. 

"  The  whole  matter  shall  be  sub  rosa"  declared 
Delia,  who  had  been  studying  Latin  for  four  weeks. 

"  Let  us  not  forget  our  song  to-night,"  said  Mar- 
garet. "'Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters'  is  just  the 
one.  Come,  Prudy,  give  us  the  key-note." 

"  Let  us  sing  the  verse, 

"  '  You  may  think  it  lost  forever, 

But  as  sure  as  God  is  true, 
In  this  life  or  in  the  other 

It  will  yet  return  to  you,' " 

said  Prue,  taking  the  tuning-fork,  which  Sally  grave- 
ly produced. 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  43 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

A     DAY     IN     LONDON. 

t(  ~J1  ,T"Y  day  in  London,"  read   the  little  slip  over 

1V_L  which  Addie  was  shaking  her  head  as  she 
hung  her  wraps  in  the  academy  cloak-room. 

"  O,  Sally,  what  is  yours?"  as  a  familiar  step 
bounded  through  the  door. 

"  It's  '  My  day  in  London,'  and  all  I  know  about 
London  is,  that  it  had  a  mayor  once  who  was  like  me. 
He  owned  a  wonderful  cat.  It  wouldn't  answer  to 
look  up  Whittington,  would  it  ?  So  what  shall  I 
do?" 

Here  the  door  opened  to  the  other  members  of 
"  The  Round  Table."  Delia  was  saying, 

"  Why,  we  all  have  it." 

"  Is  it  possible  ! "  answered  Sally,  dancing  off  her 
rubbers.  "  So  have  we.  It's  truly  catching." 

"  How  do  yon  fancy  the  idea  ?"  asked  Amelia. 

"  It  is  just  like  you,  and  splendid,"  said  Prue.  "I 
must  say  I  am  a  little  tired  of  the  poets,  and  I  am 
afraid  our  Mother-Goose  night  was  a  failure." 

"  I  only  wish  we  were  all  really  going,"  said  Ad- 
die,  pensively,  patting  the  pink  bows  on  her  apron 
pockets. 


44  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"A  day  is  all  too  short,"  criticised  Margaret. 
"  Just  think  of  the  Tower  alone." 

"Why,  so  it  did  have  a  tower,"  observed  Sally, 
ruffling  her  hair,  "  where  two  little  princes  were 
smothered  to  death  by  a  kind  uncle.  I'd  forgotten 
that  I  knew  so  much  about  London." 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  books  of  travel  were  in  de- 
mand that  week.  Delia,  armed  with  a  quire  of  note- 
paper  and  a  half-dozen  well  sharpened  pencils/visited 
an  old  family  friend,  who  had  actually  been  abroad, 
but  came  home  in  despair,  undecided  which  of  the 
twenty  places  glowingly  recommended  she  could  best 
visit,  having  a  dim  recollection  that  the  crown  jewels 
were  kept  in  St.  Paul's  or  some  House  of  Parliament, 
and  just  where  the  queen  eked  out  a  scanty  existence 
on  a  few  hundred  thousand  a  year,  she  had  entirely 
forgotten. 

The}'  all  joined  with  Margaret  that  a  day  was  but 
as  a  hand-breadth.  "  Not  worth  crossing  the  ocean 
and  having  the  '  O  my  ! '  for,"  Addie  declared. 

"  If  yours  is  the  palace  of  the  Cossars,  this  is 
the  temple  of  Peace,  isn't  it  ? "  said  Margaret,  as 
Friday  night  found  them  gathering  about  the  found 
table  with  Prue  and  Addie,  in  whose  house  was 
always  a  genial  atmosphere  of  home  peace  and  con- 
tentment. 

"  I  expected  to  see  a  skeleton  or  two  and  some 
pickled  lingers,"  observed  Sally,  mischievously,  peer- 
ing about. 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  45 

"  Sli !  It's  time  to  begin,"  warned  Prae,  shaking 
her  head,  and  trying  to  frown  at  the  offender. 

The  answering  to  roll-call  with  quotations  brought 
out  Margaret. 

"  I  have  a  suggestion  to  offer,"  she  said.  "  I  am 
trying  to  learn  a  little  verse  or  extract  every  day. 
Three  mornings  of  the  week  it  is  a  Bible  verse,  and 
the  other  four  any  quotation  I  fancy.  I  just  put  it  on 
my  dresser  while  I  am  combing  my  hair,  and  hair-pin 
it  into  my  memory  in  no  time." 

"  Are  you  going  to  propose  to  call  the  roll  seven 
times  every  Friday  night  ?  "  asked  Addie,  in  alarm. 

"  Of  course  not.  I  only  know  it  has  helped  my 
memory  amazingly,  and  offer  it  for  general  benefit, 
as  I  supposed  we  Round  Tablers  ought  to.  You  see, 
I  am  sure  to  have  a  quotation  for  Friday  night." 

"  Thanks  !  I  am  going  to  begin  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," said  Delia. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  the  chorus. 

''  It  is  just  what  we  need.  It  will  keep  us  from 
looking  in  the  glass,"  commented  Sally,  who,  in  her 
best  estate,  never  could  be  accused  of  vanity. 

Delia  said  she,  too,  had  a  little  item  of  business  to 
present,  and  proceeded  to  read  an  application  to  join 
"  The  Round  Table,"  addressed  to  "  The  most  Honor- 
able President  and  Body,"  and  signed,  "  Your  most 
humble  servant,  Thomas  Stevens." 

"  That  bad  boy  !  "  shouted  the  sisters.  "  He  want- 
ed us  to  propose  his  name,  and  we  wouldn't." 


46  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

The  chair  appointed  Sir  Knight  Sally  to  draft  reso- 
lutions of  sympathy  and  refusal  to  the  aspiring  youth. 

"  If  the  president  please,"  began  Sally,  deferential- 
ly, "  I  have  in  my  hours  of  meditation  composed  a 
song  for  the  Table.  It  is  '  from  our  special  poetess,' 
as  the  papers  say  : 

"  '  Ho !  R.  T's,  come  with  us  and  join  in  our  song, 

Our  song,  full  of  courage  aud  hope, 
How  we're  knights  every  one,  with  a  great  work  to  do, 

Our  symbols,  a  broom  and  some  soap. 

"  '  Yes,  to  make  the  world  better  and  purer  we'll  try, 

With  ourselves  we  intend  to  begin, 
Sure  "  mindful "  we'll  be,  and  "  faithful "  as  well, 

To  cast  out  each  dear  little  sin. 

'' '  More  learning  we  want,  that  our  feet  may  not  stray 
From  the  path  where  the  wise  men  have  trod, 

A  mind/wU  we  want,  and  so,  full  of  faith, 
We'll  follow  the  foot-prints  they've  made.'  " 

Be  assured  it  was  received  beyond  Sally's  wildest 
expectation,  while  Delia,  who  had  been  studying 
Greek  literature,  declared, 

"  Sally,  you  are  a  real  Sappho." 

"  The  ladies  may  have  noticed  a  slight  similarity  in 
subjects,"  said  the  president,  deigning  a  pleasantry, 
'•  and  we  will  open  with  '  My  day  in  London.  Delia 
Nichols."' 

"  '  Miss  President  and  Ladies  :  There  were  so  many 
places  to  visit  I  was  quite  at  my  wit's  end.  But  call- 
ing a  hansom  cab,  I  rode  to  South  Kensington  Mu- 
seum, determined  to  take  at  least  a  little  peep  here.  I 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  47 

did  not  wonder  that  it  could  set  the  art-fashions  for 
the  world.  So  much  beauty  and  elegance  drove  rae 
wild.  Tne  room  where  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones  are  wrought  into  every  thing  that  it  ever  en- 
tered into  the  human  heart  to  conceive  caused  me  to 
break  the  tenth  commandment  at  a  terrible  rate.' ' 

"  How  dared  you  ? "  interrupted  Sally.  "  Don't 
they  shut  you  up  for  stealing  in  that  country  ?  " 

"  Sarah  Jane  Smith ! "  shouted  Delia,  turning  a 
perfectly  withering  look  on  Sally,  •'  when  did  you  read 
the  commandments  last  ? " 

"  O-o  !  "  said  Sally,  quite  subdued.  "  Margaret, 
please  pass  me  the  Bible." 

"  Rat-tat-tat !  "  came  the  gavel.  "  Authorities  can 
be  looked  up  later.  Will  Miss  Nichols  proceed  with 
her  paper  ? " 

"  '  Here  in  South  Kensington  are'  Raphael's  car- 
toons. 1  knew  that  my  trip  would  be  incomplete  with- 
out some  time  devoted  to  the  study  of  an  old  master. 
"  Peter  and  John  healing  the  lame  man  at  the  Gate 
Beautiful "  I  liked  best.  The  cripple  is  the  most  help- 
less looking  creature  you  ever  beheld.  John  has  such 
a  sweet  woman's  face,  and  Peter  such  a  strong  one. 
Then  I  hurried  away  to  the  British  Museum,  which  is 
a  world  in  itself.  The  building  is  very  imposing.  It 
is  higher  than  our  chnrch  steeple,  and  six  times  as 
long  as  the  church.  Over  three  millions  and  a  half 
of  dollars  have  been  spent  on  it,  and  it  is  not  yet  fin- 
ished. I  passed  through  the  Egyptian  room,  which 


48  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

has  so  many  tombs  and  gods  and  mummies  brought 
from  Egypt.  And  through  the  zoological  room  and 
mineral  room  and  bronze  room.  Next  came  the  de- 
partments devoted  to  races,  such  as  the  Chinese  room, 
with  glittering  images  and  ivory  trinkets;  and  the 
Hindu,  with  the  richest,  loveliest,  Oriental  dresses  you 
could  imagine,  offset  by  hideous  household  gods. 
From  these  departments  I  went  into  the  library, 
which  is  perfectly  immense.  I  asked  for  a  catalogue, 
and  they  pointed  out  three  hundred  volumes.  I  longed 
for  my  old  friend  Sally,  and  thought  how  she  would 
like  to  be  turned  loose  in  such  a  place.  But  I  must  tell 
you  that  I  was  moved  almost  to  tears  by  the  men  who 
do  the  dusting.  By  the  time  they  have  gotten  around 
the  room  the  first  books  have  gathered  dust,  and  so 
they  keep  up  an  everlasting  dusting.  To  me  it  was 
very  pathetic.  But  the  shades  of  night  were  falling 
fast,  so,  calling  my  cab,  I  rode  back  to  the  hotel.'  r 

"  Perfectly  splendid  ! "  was  the  verdict,  while  they 
applauded. 

"  I'm  glad  you  like  it,1'  said  Delia,  resting  back 
in  her  chair,  "  for  it  was  hard  work ;  and  if  it  sets 
Sally  to  reading  the  ten  commandments  I  shall  feel 
more  than  repaid." 

"  Mine  is*  a  letter,"  answered  Addie,  as  she  was  in 
turn  called  out. 

" '  LONDON,  ENGLAND. 

"  '  DEAR  ROUND  TABLE  :  Having  but  a  day,  I  de- 
termined to  spend  it  in  the  Tower.  You  know  the 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  49 

Tower  is  on  the  Thames  River,  which  made  it  very 
convenient  to  carry  prisoners  there  by  water  in  the 
old  days  when  a  man  was  imprisoned  and  had  his  head 
cut  off  for  just  nothing  at  all.  It  used  to  be  a  Roman 
fort,  and  has  stood  for  nearly  a  thousand  years.  It  is 
really  a  group  of  towers,  surrounding  the  Tower,  or 
White  Tower.  It  made  me  sad  to  think  how  many 
tears  have  been  shed  there.' ': 

["  Without  any  doubt,"  put  in  Sally,  glancing  up 
in  a  calculating  way,  "  as  many  as  a  barrel  full." 

"  You  just  spoil  all  the  tragical  parts,"  laughed  Ad- 
die,  for  even  the  Tower  could  not  sober  her.]  "  '  Of 
course  I  wanted  to  see  the  room  where  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  was  imprisoned  so  many  years  that  he  had 
time  to  wrrite  a  history  of  the  world.  It  had  no 
window.  You  know  he  is  the  man  who  threw  his 
velvet  cloak  down  in  the  mud  for  Queen  Elizabeth  to 
walk  over,  one  day,  when  he  met  her  in  the  streets  of 
London.  Wasn't  it  too  bad  that  such  a  gallant  gen- 
tleman had  to  lose  his  head  ?  I  took  just  a  little  peep 
into  the  room  where  the  instruments  of  torture  are 

• 

kept.  It  was  as  near  as  I  wanted  to  get,  and  made 
me  thankful  that  I  didn't  live  in  the  Dark  Ages.  How 
ridiculous  to  make  people  swear  to  believe,  or  not  to  be- 
lieve, articles  of  faith,  by  putting  on  thumb-screws  or 
building  a  fire  under  them.  Yet  such  was  the  case. 
Next  I  visited  the  room  where  the  Earl  of  Essex  was  put 
to  death.  If  you  have  not  forgotten  your  last  year's 

English  history,  you  will  remember  that  Queen  Eliz- 
"4 


50  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

abetli  loved  him,  and  gave  him  a  ring,  telling  him  to 
send  it  to  her,  if  he  was  ever  in  trouble,  and  she  would 
give  him  a  hearing.  When  he  got  into  trouble  he 
sent  the  ring  by  Lady  Howard,  who  kept  it,  because 
her  husband,  who  was  an  enemy  of  Essex,  wanted  her 
to.  After  the  splendid  nobleman  had  gone  out  from 
this  Devereux  Tower  to  his  death,  Lady  Howard  was 
sick  unto  death,  and,  growing  penitent,  sent  for  the 
queen  and  confessed  her  crime.  You  remember,  the 
queen  shook  her  violently,  exclaiming,  "  May  God 
forgive  you  !  I  never  can  ;"  and  forthwith  became  so 
sad  that  nothing  could  cheer  her.  I  wanted  to  see 
the  Brick  Tower,  because  here  the  beautiful  Lady 
Jane  Grey  was  imprisoned.  From  the  window  she 
could  look  out  on  the  palace  where  she  had  been 
queen,  and  from  which  she  waved  a  good-bye  to  her 
innocent  husband  when  he  went  to  his  execution. 
The  room  where  the  crown  jewels  are  kept  is  full 
of  richness.  But  I  must  not  weary  you,  so  good-bye. 
" '  Yours  very  truly,  ADDIE.'  " 

"  I  can't  say  that  I  admire  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  as 
you  do,"  said  Margaret,  critically,  as  Addie  finished. 
"  He  knew  he  would  be  paid  magnificently.  If  his 
cloak  had  been  down  for  his  washer-woman,  I  would 
have  called  it  real  gallantry." 

"  Of  course,"  approved  Sally,  "  who  of  us  wouldn't 
lay  down  our  cloaks  for  Queen  Victoria  and  never 
think  of  praise  ?  " 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  51 

"  '  I  wanted  to  go  to  Westminster  Abbey,'  "  began 
Prue,  as  she  was  announced,  "'but' I  did  not  have 
time  to  look  it  up.  I  only  know  that  the  poets,  from 
Chaucer  down,  have  magnificent  tombs  there,  and 
that  some  traveler  has  said  that  when  after  years  of  ex- 
pectation she  finally  stepped  upon  that  worn  floor  she 
felt  to  exclaim,  with  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  "the  half 
has  never  been  told."  I  decided  to  go  to  the  Found- 
ling Hospital.  They  were  holding  service  and  I 
heard  four  hundred  little  orphans  chant  an  anthem. 
It  was  like  heaven.  They  all  wore  kerchiefs  and 
Normandy  caps,  and  looked  very  quaint  and  old-fash- 
ioned. I  longed  to  hug  them  all,  dear  homeless  little 
things !  In  the  chapel  is  Benjamin  "West's  painting 
of  ''Christ  Blessing  Little  Children,"  which  they  can 
look  at.  Charles  Dickens  used  often  to  come  here, 
and  I  would,  too,  if  I  had  been  in  his  place.  I'm 
sorry  that  mine  isn't  better,' "  said  Prue,  sadly. 

"  We're  glad  you  went  to  the  hospital.  It  is  very 
becoming  in  one  who  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  knight 
of  deeds  rather  than  words,"  answered  the  president, 
beaming  on  Prue. 

Margaret,  who  came  next,  announced,  "  I  surely 
thought  you  would  all  go  to  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  It 
\vill  be  the  first  place  in  my  real  trip. 

"  '  Long  before  I  reached  my  object  of  interest,  I 
saw  the  dome  towering  high  above  the  roofs  and 
steeples,  and  remembered  that  the  height  to  the  top 
of  the  cross  is  four  hundred  feet.  Thus,  St.  Paul's 


52  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

is  a  landmark  for  many  miles  around.  The  dis- 
tances are  magnificent.  Just  think  of  it.  Over  five 
hundred  feet  long !  But,  within,  you  hardly  feel  as 
if  you  were  in  a  church.  It  has  so  many  monuments 
of  England's  heroes,  and  so  much  about  her  wars. 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  the  dictionary  man,  has  a  statue 
here,  and  Xelson  and  Wellington  are  buried  here,  with 
candles  burning  before  them,  as  before  Catholic  altars. 
Sir  Christopher  Wren,  the  architect  and  builder  of 
St.  Paul's,  is  very  fittingly  buried  here,  and  said  he 
wanted  no  other  monument.  The  guide  now  directs 
us  to  the  Whispering  Gallery.  From  a  distance,  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet  away,  he  whispers  a  message 
and  I  can  hear  it  distinctly.' ' 

"Pshaw!"  said  Sally,  scornfully,  "  didn't  you  tell 
him  that  any  Yankee  school-girl  could  beat  that  ? " 

"  He  would  have  said  that  Yankees  haven't  got  any 
St.  Paul's,  and  so  I  kept  still.  When  you  go  abroad, 
Sally,  you  must  learn  to  keep  your  nose  down." 

"  '  From  this  gallery  the  church  shows  its  vast  size. 
The  guide  tells  yon  to  look  up,  and,  behold !  high  above 
you  is  the  dome,  painted  brilliantly  with  scenes  from 
St.  Paul's  life.'  " 

"  What  a  convenient  place  to  have  pictures," 
laughed  Addie,  catching  the  critical  spirit. 

"  Sure  enough  !  "  chimed  in  Sally ;  "  it  took  a 
Yankee  to  invent  hanging  pictures  where  they  could 
be  seen,  Til  warrant." 

'"Above  this  gallery  is  the  Golden  Gallery,  from 


A  DAY  EN  LONDON.  53 

which  a  wonderful  view  of  London,  the  largest  city 
in  the  world,  can  be  obtained.  I  wont  try  to  describe 
it.  But  just  before  I  turned  to  come  down  I  was  at- 
tracted by  a  wild-looking  lass,  rushing  about  in  a  most 
distracted  manner,  far  below  me.  Imagine,  O  ye 
members  of  The  Round  Table !  my  surprise  when  I 
discovered  that  it  was  my  old  friend  Sally  Smith 
hunting  through  the  streets  of  London  for  her 
rubbers.' " 

Margaret  closed  np  her  paper  in  quite  a  storm  of 
applause,  as  the  little  hit  had  its  reality  almost  any 
day. 

Amelia  spent  the  day  at  the  quaint  old  Temple 
Church,  where  lived  knights  templars,  who  adopted 
the  meek  symbols  of  the  lamb  and  cross,  and  then  sought 
every  opportunity  to  have  a  fight.  She  conducted  them 
to  the  Temple  Gardens,  where  the  man  who  wrote 
"Vicar  of  Wakefield"  is  buried,  and  where  Charles 
Lamb,  the  punster,  and  so  many  famous  literary  men 
lived  ;  and  then  she  called  a  carriage  and  rode  up  and 
down  Rotten  Row,  which,  in  spite  of  its  name,  is  a 
broad  beautiful  avenue,  the  street  of  London,  where 
all  the  world  of  people  can  be  seen  of  a  pleasant  after- 
noon. Here  she  met  the  queen,  with  her  royal  train, 
and  her  account  related  an  altogether  delightful 
"day"  to  the  Table. 

"My  day  in  London.  Sally  Smith,"  announced 
the  chair. 

Sally  drew   out   an   immense  manuscript,    deliber- 


54  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

ately  unfolded  it  and  began,  while  they  listened 
expectantly : 

"  '  Dear  Sirs :  I  planned  a  rich  time  of  it,  and  was 
just  ready  to  slip  up  to  Buckingham  Palace,  unan- 
nounced, to  have  a  friendly  little  visit  with  Victoria, 
when  a  dense  yellow  fog,  such  as  you  have  heard  is 
common  to  England,  came  out,  and  I  was  forced  to 
retire  to  my  room  in  the  darkness,  meditating  on  the 
sorrows  that  so  often  swoop  down  on  us  in  this  vale 
of  tears. ' " 

"How  could  you?"  demanded  Margaret. 

"  When  we  were  expecting  so  much,"  moaned 
Delia, 

The  chair  felt  quite  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  as  Sally 
arose  in  self-defense. 

"  You  spent  your  day  as  you  wanted  to,  and  I  ap- 
peal to  our  worthy  president  if  I  haven't  the  same 
right,  sir ! " 

The  president  bit  her  pencil  and  frowned.  "  I 
don't  see  as  we  can  complain.  She  hasn't  broken  the 
constitution." 

"  For  the  sake  of  the  poem,  let  us  forgive  her," 
suggested  Prue. 

Taken  all  in  all,  they  agreed  that  their  London 
night  was  most  successful. 

"  What  a  delightful  way  to  go  to  London,  '  without 
money  and  without  price,'  "  said  Addie. 

"  Yes,  without  sea-sickness  and  without  shipwreck," 
added  Margaret. 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  55 

"  I  should  want  a  shipwreck  or  two,"  mused  Sally. 
"  If  I  had  paid  the  passage,  I  wouldn't  want  any  of  the 
'  extras  '  left  out.  If  we  could  be  sure  of  surviving, 
it  wouldn't  be  bad,  only  rather  exciting ;  and  what  a 
hero  one  might  be  !  " 

"  As  we  are  not  in  imminent  danger  of  shipwreck 
at  present,"  said  Amelia,  while  books  and  papers  dis- 
appeared, "  let  us  turn  to  something  more  practical. 
Dr.  Prue,  how  is  your  patient  ?  " 

"  O,  girls,  I  have  something  to  tell  you,"  answered 
Prue,  in  such  unusual  agitation  that  they  all  looked 
and  listened.  "  Did  you  know  that  sailor  Jake  has 
had  another  time  of  drinking?  "Well,  lie  has,  after 
keeping  straight  so  long,  too.  I  was  tliore  when  he 
came  home,  and  it  was  terrible." 

"  Weren't  you  frightened  to  death  ? "  demanded 
Delia,  shivering. 

"  O,  don't  ask  me,"  pleaded  Prue.  "  I  don't  like 
to  think  of  that  part." 

"  I  should  say  she  was,"  explained  Addie.  "  She 
looked  like  a  ghost  when  she  came  home,  and  Harry 
said  she  mus'n't  go  again." 

"  But  I  did,"  continued  Prue.  "  I  went  next  morn- 
ing, and  I  carried  a  pledge,  a  pretty  one,  with  forget- 
me-nots  painted  on  it.  I  know  you  don't  believe  in 
pledges,  Sally,  but  don't  shake  your  head  until  I  get 
through.  Sailor  Jake  was  sitting  by  the  window 
looking  out,  with  his  head  on  his  hand,  so,  and  lie 
never  noticed  me  a  bit.  I  had  written  my  name  at 


56  ANXALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

the  top,  and  then  I  explained  it  to  Betty,  and  she  held 
the  pencil  while  1  wrote  her  name  next,  and  then — 
O  didn't  ray  heart  beat? — I  went  over  to  the  window 
and  slipped  it  on  to  his  knee.  He  looked  at  it  two  or 
three  times  quite  sharp-like,  and  then  the  tears  began 
to  roll  down  his  face.  We  just  all  turned  in  and 
cried,  too.  He  looked  so  sorrowful.  I  know  you 
couldn't  have  helped  it.  Even  the  old  aunt  stopped 
smoking  and  rubbed  her  apron  across  her  eyes.  Pretty 
soon  he  reached  for  the  pencil  and  wrote  his  name. 
Such  writing  you  never  saw,  but  we  didn't  care  a  bit. 
And  then  he  took  it  over  for  Betty  to  see.  And  he 
says,  '  Bring  me  the  Bible,  lass ; '  and  when  I  laid  it  on 
the  bed  he  put  his  hand  over  hers  on  it  and  said  the 
pledge,  sentence  by  sentence,  very  solemnly  and  slow- 
ly. Truly,  girls,  it  was  a  good  place  to  be,  if  it  was  a 
stuffy  little  garret.  And  then  he  says,  '  Now,  lassie, 
say  the  prayer  yer  mammy  told  yer,'  and  she  shut  her 
eyes  and  began,  'Xow  I  lay  me.'  When  it  was  over 
he  looked  so  different,  somehow,  so  strong  and  good, 
and  when  I  came  away  he  was  making  toast  for  Bet- 

€/  O 

ty's  breakfast." 

Prue  stopped  to  wipe  away  some  glad  tears,  and 
found  the  little  group  following  her  example. 

"  Yes,  father  has  seen  him  and  thinks  it's  a  very 
hopeful  case,"  said  Margaret.  "  I  have  been  gather- 
ing up  my  bits  of  zephyr  into  a  ball  for  Betty  to  cro- 
chet, and  find  that  it  works  better  than  books.  If  any 
of  you  have  any  thing  to  contribute  along  this  line  I 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  57 

will  make  another  ball.  The  bright  colors  brighten 
up  the  old  coverlet  so." 

"  Just  the  thing,"  said  Delia.  "  I  have  got  boxes 
of  it,  and  then  she  can  sew  the  stripes  together  for  a 
little  afghan.  What  inventors  we  are  ! " 

"  I  do  believe  Betty  is  making  us  all  better,"  de- 
clared Sally,  frankly.  "  Any  way,  I  feel  so  to-night. 
The  trouble  is,  it  doesn't  last  with  me,"  little  thinking 
how  soon  she  would  put  it  to  trial. 

Next  morning,  as  she  was  ambling  up  to  school, 
her  beloved  Euclid  hugged  under  one  arm  and  her 
lunch  under  the  other,  Delia  came  out  to  join  her, 
saying,  with  a  mysterious  air, 

"  O  do  walk  slower.  I've  got  some  very  important 
news  for  you." 

As  Delia's  trifles  were  always  important,  Sally 
looked  up  with  an  indifferent, 

"  Who  cares  any  thing  about  Mrs.  Peter  Piper's 
new  dress? " 

"  It  isn't  about  any  body's  new  dress.  Haven't  you 
noticed,"  slipping  her  arm  through  Sally's,  and  drop- 
ping her  voice  to  a  confidential  whisper,  "  that  Fred 
has  been  wonderfully  cool  for  the  past  week  ?  " 

"Pshaw!  you  know  I  don't  believe  in  slights  and 
all  that  sort  of  nonsense." 

"  But  you  have  noticed  it,"  persisted  Delia. 

"  If  I'd  ever  noticed  any  thing  of  the  kind  I  should 
say  he  had  the  dumps." 

"  Well,  then,  just  read  this,"  and  she  unfolded  a 


58  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

triangular  note,  and  watched  Sally's  face  while  she 
read : 

" '  MR.  FEED  HUNTING  :  I  happen  to  know  that  you 
got  somebody  to  solve  your  problem  for  you  yester- 
day, and  that's  the  reason  you  could  go  ahead  of  me. 
We  are  all  very  angry  about  it,  and  don't  care  to  have 
any  thing  more  to  do  with  you.  SALLY  SMITH.'  ': 

Intense  amazement,  followed  by  rising  indignation, 
swept  over  her  face. 

"  Did  you  write  it  ?  "  asked  Delia,  growing  excited. 
"  It  looks  like  your  writing,  all  but  the  g's — 

"  Of  course  not,"  thundered  Sally.  "  You  ought 
to  have  known  better.  It's  that  Mackey  girl.  She 
wanted  to  join  our  club,  and  that's  the  secret  of  her 
spite." 

"Fred  thought  you  did  it,  sure,  and  O!  how  mad 
he  was.  I  had  a  great  time  getting  it  out  of  him. 
He  was  going  to  cut  us,  once  and  forever,  and  there's 
no  telling  what  would  have  come  of  it." 

"  How  could  she  dare  to  do  such  a  contemptible 
thing !  "  blazed  Sally.  "  I'll  teacli  her  not  to  trifle  with 
me.  I'll  never  forgive  her,  never  !" 

They  turned  into  the  cloak-room,  where  were  a  half- 
dozen  girls  disposing  of  their  wrappings,  and,  unfor- 
tunately, among  them,  Miss  Mackey.  Sally  confronted 
her  with  a  burning  face,  held  out  the  note  and  de- 
manded, 

"  Did  you  write  that  ?  " 


A  DAY  IN  LONDON.  59 

"  I — I  am  not  bound  to  answer  your  questions," 
faltered  the  girl,  trying  to  be  haughty  in  spite  of  her 
fright,  and  turning  to  escape. 

"  You  are  bound  to  answer,"  began  Sally,  hedging 
her  way,  and  launching  forth  into  a  tempest  of  accusa- 
tions and  threats  that  alarmed  even  Delia,  while  the 
other  girls  looked  on  with  whispered,  "  Isn't  it  dread- 
ful ? "  and  "  Who  would  have  thought  of  such  a  tem- 
per?" 

At  this  crisis  Miss  Augsbury,  the  preceptress,  ap- 
peared at  the  door.  As  the  accused  had  resorted  to 
tears,  and  the  accuser  was  still  in  her  storm  of  passion, 
Miss  Augsbury,  who  was  not  gifted  with  a  percep- 
tive faculty,  called  out,  sternly  : 

"Miss  Smith,  take  your  place  in  the  chapel  at 
once.  I  am  surprised  to  hear  such  conversation. 
Miss  Mackey,  I  will  hear  your  case  later." 

"She  has  wronged  me,"  explained  Sally,  in  her 
pent-up  voice,  "and  she  shall  not  leave  until  she 
owns  up." 

This  was  too  daring  to  be  tolerated,  and  the  other 
members  of  "The  Round  Table"  came  in  just  in 
time  to  hear  Miss  Augsbury  pronounce  this  sentence 
on  their  Sally : 

"  You  cannot  take  your  place  in  your  classes  until 
you  publicly  apologize  for  this.  Your  conduct  shows 
that  you  are  wholly  to  blame,  and  not  Miss  Mackey  ; " 
and  she  swept  away  with  the  girls,  leaving  Sally  with 
her  five  friends. 


60  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

At  this,  Sally  threw  herself  on  the  bench  and 
burst  into  such  a  torrent  of  tears  as  frightened  them 
all,  while  they  beset  Delia  with  questions  as  to  what 
it  meant. 

Prue  tripped  over  to  the  bench,  knelt  by  Sally's 
head,  and  laid  a  cool  hand  on  the  hot  temple,  saying 
not  a  word,  while  Delia  gave  a  confused  account  of 
the  affair  to  the  excited  girls,  they  receiving  the 
news  with  ejaculations  of  indignation  and  sympathy. 

"  Cheer  fip,  Sally  dear.  We'll  all  stand  by  you," 
said  Margaret,  going  over  to  the  bench  where  the 
patient  was  growing  more  quiet. 

"  I  don't  deserve  it,"  said  Sally,  in  a  choked  voice, 
raising  a  swollen  face.  u  I've  disgraced  you  all. 
Delia  hasn't  told  it  right." 

At  this  point  the  last  bell  sounded  sharply,  and  the 
girls  rushed  into  the  chapel,  where  at  recess  Sally 
joined  them,  spending  the  day  dismally  in  her  chair. 
O  what  a  day  it  was  for  them  all !  Even  Amelia,  the 
immovable,  failed  utterly,  and  Addie  found  herself 
studying  Miss  Mackey's  face  instead  of  English  his- 
tory. Indeed,  the  scholarship  of  "  The  Round  Table," 
which  had  been  a  well-acknowledged  fact  and  a  mat- 
ter of  pride,  sank  far  below  the  level.  Sally  was 
under  the  double  pressure  of  being  misunderstood, 
for  now  Miss  Mackey  was  the  injured  party,  but, 
above  all  else,  the  disgrace  of  her  passion,  which  was 
"  like  a  millstone  round  her  neck,"  she  had  sorrow- 
fully owned  to  her  mother,  when  she  presented  her- 


A  DAY  ix  LONDON.  61 

self  to  the  gentle  little  woman  for  reproof  and  com- 
fort. 

When  at  last  the  long,  long  day  was  over,  the  girls 
lingered  in  the  hall. 

"  Did  you  see  the  notes  pass  to  Miss  Mackey  ? " 
asked  Addie,  indignantly.  "  I  feel  just  like  leaving 
this  old  school." 

"  Girls,"  began  Amelia,  thoughtfully,  "  I've  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  we  have  been  too  clannish. 
We  haven't  cared  for  any  one  outside  of  '  "The  Table,' 
and  now,  as  a  natural  consequence,  they  don't  care 
if  we  are  in  trouble." 

"  They're  just  glad  of  it,"  said  Delia,  twisting  the 
handles  of  her  book-bag,  despairingly. 

"  Tom  said,"  began  Addie,  smiling  for  the  first 
time  that  day,  "  that,  of  course,  all  the  '  Round 
Table '  girls  were  very,  very  good,  and  all  the  others 
were  very,  very  bad." 

"  I'm  afraid  it  looks  that  way,"  said  Margaret, 
soberly  ;  "  and  I'm  sure,  when  it's  all  understood,  they 
wont  be  unjust.  I  mean  to  see  some  of  the  class- 
girls  to-night." 

"  Delia,  you  fix  Fred,  and  we'll  explain  to  our 
boys,"  said  Addie. 

"  Not  unless  you'll  blame  me  all  I  deserve,"  com- 
manded Sally,  bursting  in  on  the  scene ;  "  remember 
that." 

In  answer  to  the  inquiry  of  where  she  had  been, 
she  explained : 


62  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  Up  to  the  professor's  room,  to  make  a  clean  breast 
of  it,  as  mother  wanted  me  to." 

"  You  didn't ! " 

"  And  I  feel  so  much  better.  At  first  he  was  very 
stern.  Said  I  had  been  reported  to  him,  and  wiped 
his  glasses  over  it  in  a  terrible  way;  but  when  I  told 
him,  as  bad  as  it  was,  the  whole  story,  he  grew  so 
kind  and  fatherly,  and  as  if  he  could  trust  me.  He 
said  he  would  advise  me — just  listen  ! — advise  me  to 
apologize  to  Miss  Augsbury,  and  to  all  the  girls  who 
were  present." 

"  What's  he  going  to  do  with  Miss  Mackey  ? "  cried 
Delia,  revengefully. 

"  Why,  you  see,  I  can't  prove  any  forgery,  and  he 
said,  '  Keep  quiet  about  it,  and  trust  to  the  right  to 
triumph,  as  it  always  will.'  r 

"  I  believe  it,  too,"  said  Amelia,  putting  an  arm 
around  Sally's  neck.  "  We  who  have  been  wronged 
can  afford  to  wait  calmly  and  quietly.  It  is  the 
wrong-doer  who  suffers." 

"  O,  I  know  that,"  cried  Sally,  fervently,  burying 
her  face  in  her  hands.  "  If  it  wasn't  for  you,  I  be- 
lieve I  should  give  up  trying;  but  if  you  can  stand 
by  me,  I  will  fight  it  down." 

"  We  will,  we  will ! "  shouted  the  chorus. 


SALLY'S  TKOUBADOUK.  63 


CHAPTER  V. 

SALLY'S  TROUBADOUR. 

parsonage  parlor  had  its  Friday  night  expect- 
JL  ant  appearance,  with  the  shutters  closed,  its 
double  student-lamp  burning  brightly,  and  the  round 
table  in  the  center,  upon  which  lay  a  volume  of  Scott's 
poems,  with  a  card  in  at  "  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  "  to 
keep  the  place.  Amelia  was  writing  at  the  table, 
while  Margaret  flitted  about,  arranging  the  chairs, 
and  giving  the  last  touches  to  lamp,  mantel,  and 
spread  in  that  deft,  swift  way  which  is  characteristic 
of  real  housewives.  Amelia  had  just  looked  up 
from  her  writing  to  remark  : 

"  Don't  forget  to  show  the  pictures  of  the  Scot- 
tish lakes,"  when  the  door-bell  rang  violently,  and 
the  four  girls,  breathless  with  a  snow-ball  encounter 
on  the  way,  tramped  in.  After  preliminaries,  Sally 
drew  a  folded  paper  from  her  pocket,  put  a  pair  of 
goggles  astride  her  nose,  gave  a  portentous  "  Hem ! " 
and  arose. 

"  Since  our  study  of  Longfellow,  and  especially  the 
ode  entitled  '  Hiawatha,'  I  have  gathered  inspiration 
enough  to  jot  down  the  following  stapzas,  upon  a 
highly  poetical  subject  which,  Miss  President,  I  re- 
spectfully submit : 


64  ANNALS  OF  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 

u  l  Dedicated  to   all   grammars,    in   general,    and 
French  grammar,  in  particular  : 

"  '  0,  tlie  long  and  dreary  grammar  1 
0  the  cold  and  cruel  grammar  1 
Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Grow  our  skulls  as  we  go  farther, 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper 
Grow  the  lines  of  care  on  foreheads. 

Hardly  from  her  desperation 

Can  the  victim  force  a  passage ; 
Vainly  walk  we  through  the  forest — 
Seek  for  help  or  hint,  and  find  none, 
See  no  track  or  sign  of  dog-ear, 
On  the  page  behold  no  foot-notes, 
In  the  ghastly  gleaming  forest 
Fall  and  cannot  rise  from  weakness. 

"  '  0,  the  parsing  and  declining ! 
0,  the  wasting  of  the  parsing  1 
0,  the  blasting  of  declining! 
0,  the  wailing  of  the  children! 
0,  the  anguish  of  the  school- girls! 
Into  our  academy  wigwam 
Came  these  two  guests,  just  as  silent 
As  the  ghosts  are,  and  as  gloomy, 
Waited  not  to  be  invited, 
Did  not  parley  at  the  door-way, 
Sat  there  without  word  of  welcome 

In  the  seat  of  Sally-ha-ha. 
Looked  with  haggard  eyes  and  hollow 

At  the  face  of  Sally-ha-ha. 
And  the  foremost  said,  "  Behold  me  1 

I  am  mood  and  tense  and  pronoun  1 " 
And  the  other  said,  "Behold  me! 

I  am  Syntax  (verb  and  subject)." 
And  the  lovely  Sally-ha-ha 
Shuddered  as  they  looked  upon  her, 


SALLY'S  TROUBADOUR.  65 

Shuddered  at  the  words  they  uttered, 
Hid  her  face  but  maue  no  answer ; 
Sat  there  trembling,  freezing,  burning 
At  the  looks  they  cast  upon  her 
At  the  fearful  words  they  uttered.'  " 

When  order  could  be  restored,  Margaret  opened 
her  "  Scott "  and  began  the  reading  of  the  evening, 
which  opens  so  happily,  with 

"  '  The  stag  at  eve  had  drunk  his  fill 
Where  danced  the  moon  on  Monan's  rilL'  " 

That  wild,  beautiful  song  of  the  Scottish  lakes  and 
highlands,  of  warriors  brave  and  sturdy,  of  wandering 
knights,  and  the  chieftain's  fair  daughter,  who  sang  to 
her  father's  unknown  enemy  that  martial  song : 

"'Soldier,  rest!  thy  warfare  o'er, 
Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking, 

Dream  of  battle-fields  no  more, 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking.'  " 

It  had  just  enough  of  the  glamour  of  romance  to  set 
them  quite  wild.  They  even  felt  willing  to  exchange 
their  comfortable,  though  prosy,  homes  for  the 

"  '  lodge  of  ample  size, 
But  strange  of  structure  and  device, 
Of  such  materials  as  around 
The  workman's  hand  had  readiest  found,'  " 

if  it  could  be  set  down  by  Loch  Katrine, 

"  '  "Where  seemed  the  cliffs  to  meet  on  high, 
His  boughs  athwart  the  narrowed  sky. 
The  wanderer's  eye  could  barely  view 
The  summer  heaven's  delicious  blue; 


66  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

So  wondrous  wild,  the  whole  might  seem 
The  scenery  of  a  fairy  dream." 

And  if  with  it  they  could  skim  across  the  lake  in 
Ellen's  dainty  shallop,  and  meet,  in  such  a  truly  ro- 
mantic manner,  the  beautiful  warrior, 

"  '  Whose  sparkling  glance,  soon  blown  to  fire, 
Of  hasty  love,  or  headlong  ire. 
Whose  limbs  were  cast  in  mmily  mold, 
For  hardy  sports,  or  contest  bold; 
And  though  in  peaceful  garb  arrayed 
And  weaponless,  except  his  blade, 
His  stately  mien  as  well  implied 
A  high-born  heart,  a  martial  pride, 
As  if  a  baron's  crest  he  wore, 
And  sheathed  in  armor,  trod  the  shore. 
Slighting  the  petty  weed  he  showed 
He  told  of  his  benighted  road  ; 
His  ready  speech  flowed  fair  and  free, 
In  phrase  of  gentlest  courtesy: 
Yet  seemed  that  tone  and  gesture  bland, 
Less  used  to  sue  than  to  command.'  " 

They  finished  to  Canto  IV,  appointed  Delia  to 
read  the  following  cantos  next  time,  and  shoved  back 
their  chairs  from  the  table. 

"Speaking  of  wandering  ministrels,"  began  Sally, 
"  reminds  me  of  an  exploit  which  has  been  revolving 
in  my  cranium  for  a  whole  day,  and  upon  which  I 
ask  you  to  combine  your  wisdom.  Contrary  minded 
can  say  '  No.' " 

"  Proceed,  proceed  ! "  cried  Addie,  impatiently,  for 
they  had  come  to  anticipate  something  "rare  and 
racy  "  whenever  Sally  rose  to  speak. 


SALLY'S  TEOUBADOUK.  67 

"It's  about  a  wandering  minstrel.  If  I  could 
summon  a 

"  '  Harp  of  the  North !  that  molderiug  long  has  hung,' 

I  could  put  mine  in  flowing  verse,  as  did  the  illustri- 
ous man  whose  poem  we  have  been  enjoying  to-night. 
As  it  is,  the  harp  must  continue  to  hang,  and  I  must 
come  down  to  prose.  Day  before  yesterday  I  was 
sitting  by  the  window  with  my  books,  when  from 
below,  on  the  street,  there  came  the  dulcet  tones 
of  a  violin.  You  know  my  propensities,  girls.  In- 
stantly my  window  flew  up  and  my  head  flew  out. 
There,  stationed  on  the  curb-stone,  was  my  minstrel." 

"  O,  he  was  singing  to  you,  as  the  troubadours  did 
in  olden  days,"  interrupted  Delia,  excitedly.  "  Did 
you  drop  down  your  favorite  flower  from  your  castle- 
window  for  him  to  bear  away  ?  " 

"  Nonsense  ! "  answered  Sally,  scornfully.  "  He 
was  singing  to  bread  and  butter.  I'll  warrant  he 
never  heard  of  a  troubadour.  For  near  him  stood  a 
little  chap  holding  a  cap  for  the  pennies." 

"  Only  a  street-grinder,  after  all  our  brilliant  ex- 
pectations," sighed  Margaret. 

"  Doirt  be  hasty,  children.  He  wasn't  a  common 
minstrel,  as  you  will  agree.  I  discovered  that  at  once, 
for  he  had  such  a  good  face  and  looked  so  sad  and  out 
of  place,  and  as  if  he  were  protesting  against  it  all  the 
while.  Soon  he  began  to  sing,  thrumming  his  accom- 
paniment, and  I  discovered  that  it  was  a  German 


G8  ANXALS  OF  THE  ROILND  TABLE. 

song.  I  remembered  that  I  had  seen  him  pass  the 
window  several  times  with  children  that  had  unmis- 
takable German  faces.  He  never  saw  me  at  all,  until  I 
dropped  a  penny  on  him,  and  then,  how  he  jumped,  and 
looked  up  as  bewildered  as  though  he  had  discovered 
that  American  skies  rained  nickels.  It  was  down- 
right fun,  and  I  was  wishing  that  I  had  a  bountiful 
supply  to  descend  on  him,  when  he  moved  away.  I 
took  note  that  he  turned  down  the  alley,  and  after 
school  I  dropped  into  the  corner  store,  and  while  I  was 
buying  some  fools-cap,  the  clerk  and  I  had  a  little 
gossip  across  the  counter.  Don't  frown,  Margaret ;  I 
just  asked  him  if  he  knew  who  the  musician  of  the 
morning  was,  and  he  launched  forth.  It's  an  old 
story,  but  splendid  all  the  same.  The  parents  left 
the  fatherland  some  time  ago  because  they  had  a 
large  family  of  children  and  thought  the  prospects 
were  better  under  the  stars  and  stripes.  A  few  months 
after  they  reached  New  York  the  father,  who  was  a 
music  teacher,  died,  and  they  came  on  here,  hoping  to 
find  friends  and  work,  but  have  had  a  sorry  time  of  it. 
This  boy  is  the  main  stay,  and  being  a  foreigner, 
poor  fellow !  can't  get  steady  work.  My  informant 
said  they  must  have  reached  the  crisis  where  either 
he  had  to  part  with  his  violin  or  turn  street  musician. 
I  couldn't  get  his  face  out  of  my  mind.  It  was  so 
honest  and  good,  not  to  mention  his  voice,  which  was 
splendid,  if  I  do  say  it,  not  being  considered  authority 
on  music." 


SALLY'S  TROUBADOUR.  C9 

"  And  your  plan  is  to  have  this  troubadour  come  to 
sin^  to  us  ? "  asked  the  president. 

"  ]S"ot  at  all.  I  shall  get  to  it  soon.  You  see,  they 
have  some  front  rooms  down  the  alley.  It's  out  of 
season  to  hang  a  May -basket  on  the  door,  but  why 
can't  we  get  up  a  December-basket,  fill  it  with  eat- 
ables, leave  it  on  the  door-steps  one  of  these  dark 
nights,  and  watch  the  fun  from  across  the  street  ? 
There,  Prue  nods  'yes'  already." 

"  You  might  know  that  when  any  scheme  has  fun 
in  it,  we  wont  be  '  contrary  minded,'  "  said  Addie, 
smiling  at  the  prospect. 

"  As  there's  no  time  like  the  present,"  urged  Delia, 
springing  up,  "  let  us  do  it  to-morrow  night.  We 
will  bring  our  provision  down  to  your  rooms  after 
supper." 

Can  you  think  what  a  nice  time  they  had  packing 
their  basket  ?  One  of  the  girls  found  an  out-grown 
hood  and  mittens.  Prue  remembered  the  children 
with  a  bag  of  pop-corn,  and  Delia  brought  a  chicken, 
which  they  spent  some  time  in  posing  so  that  it  would 
sit  up  properly  and  clasp  in  its  arms  a  card  of  ginger- 
bread. Addie  hung  this  request  as  a  pendant  around 
its  neck,  "  Please  eat  me."  Sugar  and  tea  and  bread 
filled  up  the  spaces,  and  Delia  insisted  upon  a  group- 
ing of  red  and  green  apples  on  top  for  the  artistic 
effect.  Mr.  Foster,  who  had  heard  of  the  plan  and 
indorsed  it  heartily,  added  a  German  Bible  and  some 
papers.  In  order  that  there  should  be  no  mistake, 


70  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

they  wrote  on  a  card,  in  a  coarse  hand,  "  For  the  Hein- 
millers.  From  American  friends."  Sally  felt  fully 
equal  to  contribute  a  poem  for  it,  but  as  they  didn't 
know  how  much  English  script  could  be  read  she 
forbore. 

"  If  we  were  not  here  for  some  good,  I  should  feel 
really  guilty,"  remarked  Prue,  as  they  stole  down  the 
dark  side  of  the  street. 

Margaret  and  Addie  set  their  burden  down  carefully 
on  the  step,  leaving  Sally  to  knock.  She  tapped  and 
ran,  while  they  looked  expectantly.  Soon  the  young 
man  opened  the  door,  and,  seeing  no  one  there,  shut 
it  and  went  back  to  his  chair  by  the  table,  where  he 
had  sat  disconsolately  meditating  when  the  rap  startled 
him.  Addie  just  groaned  with  disappointment,  and  a 
council  of  war  was  held. 

"  Knock  hard,"  suggested  Amelia,  "  so  that  they 
must  know  somebody  wants  to  get  in." 

Acting  on  this  advice.  Sally  tramped  back  and 
knocked  mnscularly.  Sooner  than  she  had  calculated 
upon,  the  door  swung  back,  and  the  young  man  ap- 
peared, with  a  light  this  time,  with  which  he  illumined 
Sally  and  the  basket. 

"  Goot  efening,"  he  said,  as  they  gazed  at  each  other 
in  mutual  surprise,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the 
little  audience  over  the  way.  But  Sally  did  not  wait 
to  exchange  courtesies.  She  just  looked  up  and  then 
rushed  across  the  street,  encountering  a  lamp-post  and 
a  pitch-hole  in  her  flight,  the  former  crushing  in  the 


SALLY'S  TROUBADOUR.  71 

crown  of  her  derby  and  the  latter  tripping  her  flat. 
The  young  man  looked  a  moment  in  the  direction  of 
this  singular-acting  individual,  who  had  come  from 
darkness  and  disappeared  into  darkness  so  unceremo- 
niously, and  then  he  lifted  the  basket,  with  an  exclama- 
tion which  they  could  not  translate,  and,  after  an  in- 
quiring peep,  ventured  to  take  it  in. 

Imagine  the  delight  of  the  girls  to  see  their  treas- 
ures brought  to  light  one  after  another,  with  a  group 
of  little  ones  dancing  around  joyfully,  testing  the 
pop  corn  and  setting  their  teeth  into  the  apples.  The 
young  man,  handing  them  out,  had  the  expression  of 
a  boy  with  his  hand  in  his  stocking  on  a  Christmas 
morning.  But  the  funniest  was  one  demure  little 
girl,  who  put  on  the  hood  and  mittens,  and  stood 
hugging  the  chicken,  as  though  it  was  a  favorite  doll 
or  recovered  treasure.  They  noticed,  through  the 
torn  curtain,  that  the  mother  was  wiping  her  eyes, 
and  soon  the  young  man  brought  out  his  violin,  the 
little  ones  gathered  around  him,  and  they  sang  a 
hymn,  the  like  of  which  the  half-dozen  girls  across 
the  street  had  never  heard  before.  It  was  dark  and 
bitter  cold,  but  they  were  loath  to  leave,  and  not  till 
the  music  ceased  did  they  turn  away.  It  was  a  very 
quiet  group  that  picked  their  way  through  the  dark- 
ness. Somehow  the  scene  had  made  them  wondrously 
happy. 

"  I've  rung  door-bells  before  by  way  of  stirring  up 
people."  owned  Sally,  penitently,  "  and  called  it  fun 


72  ANNALS  OF  THE  EOUND  TABLE. 

to  see  them  peer  out  and  look  so  dazed,  but  this  is  the 
real  article.  It's  comfortable  to  go  asleep  on.  Good- 
night!" 

Next  morning  she  met  them  at  the  gate-way  with 
the  cry  : 

"  Girls,  he  took  me  in  last  night,  just  as  sure  as  the 
world ;  for  what  do  you  suppose  happened  this  morn- 
ing ?  I  was  sauntering  up  the  street,  and  as  I  saw 
him  coming  I  looked  up  with  a  you-are-a-stranger 
stare,  when  he  just  solemnly  lifted  his  hat  and  looked 
as  if  he  wanted  to  twinkle  his  eye.  I  always  do  put 
my  foot  in  it,"  chewing  a  paper  wad  savagely. 

It  was  Prue  who  looked  up,  with  the  whisper  : 

"  It's  a  very  good  sort  of  foot,  dear,  and  you've 
done  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of." 

"  Who  knows  but  it  will  have  a  sequel  yet,"  mused 
Delia,  "and  he  will  sing  to  your  window  and  bear 
you  away  to  a  castle  in  German  land." 

"  It's  had  a  sequel  before  this,"  answered  Sally, 
gleefully,  ruffling  her  hair,  "  in  the  shape  of  a  break- 
fast, which  isn't  quite  so  romantic,  but  a  great  deal 
more  filling." 


THEIR  BANQUET.  73 


CHAPTEK  VI. 

THEIR    BANQUET. 

"  TT  seems  to  me,"  began  Sally,  quite  decidedly, 

J-  when,  at  the  close  of  their  next  meeting,  the 
period  "allotted  for  their  chat  had  come,  "  that  it's 
about  time  we  had  a  spread."  «. 

"  Yes  ;  we've  worked  hard  and  deserve  a  sugar- 
plum, I'm  sure,"  laughed  Addie. 

"•  Let  us  have  a  banquet,  with  toasts,"  said  Amelia, 
suddenly.  '•  Don't  you  see  how  we  can  be  literary 
and  have  a  play  spell  all  in  one  ? " 

"  And  I  have  another  scheme  about  it,"  proposed 
Margaret.  "  Let  us  every  one  make  what  we  bring  for 
the  supper.  Don't  yon  know  that  some  people  say  that 
if  girls  try  to  know  something  out  of  books  they  are 
never  good  housekeepers.  We  know  better,  but  it 
will  be  a  good  way  to  prove  it." 

"  Mercy  me  !  We'll  all  be  bringing  ginger-cake 
or  gruel,"  said  Prue,  recalling  her  only  attempts  at 
cookery. 

"  Wont  it  answer  ju|f  as  well  if  your  '  nearest  of 
kin '  cooks  your  dish  ? "  asked  Sally,  shaking  her 
head  dubiously. 

"  No,  ma'am,"  from  Margaret ;  "  we  have  a  week 
to  practice  in,  and  it  will  spoil  the  reputation  of  the 


74  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

affair  if  we  can't  say  that  it  is  our  very  own  supper. 
Who  of  us  made  pickles  or  jelly  last  fall  ?" 

A  dead  silence  followed  the  question. 

"  Well,  then,  we  must  go  without,"  said  Margaret, 
heroically. 

"  I  picked  over  the  raspberries  and  kept  the  cans  hot 
when  Bridget  was  preserving,"  announced  Addie, 
proudly. 

As  this  was  the  nearest  approach  made  to  fruit  can- 
ning, it  was  reluctantly  admitted. 

"It  looks,"  commented  Sally,  sadly,  "as  if  we 
wouldn't  have  any  thing  but  toast — dry  at  that." 

"  How  can  you  ?  at  such  a  time  as  this,  too ! " 
groaned  Delia.  "  Of  course,  our  president  will  be 
the  toast-master,  and  why  not  invite  the  boys — just 
Fred  and  Tom  and  Harry  Stevens?" 

"  I'm  afraid  they  wont  behave  very  well."  warned 
Addie;  "  but  they'll  want  to  come." 

"Not  when  they  know  what  kind  of  a  spread  it's 
going  to  be ;  but  let's  give  them  an  invite.  Delia, 
you  attend  to  that,  since  it's  going  to  be  at  your 
house,"  said  Margaret,  stopping  to  make  minutes. 

"  We  will  send  the  remains  of  the  feast  to  Betty, 
wont  we?"  asked  Prue,always  mindful  of  kerjprotegee. 

"  I  wish,"  began  Sally,  hesitatingly,  and  running 
her  fingers  through  her  locks,  as  she  always  did  when 
perplexed,  "  that  we  might  send  a  little  box  of  our 
cake  to  the  Mackey  girl.  And,  if  you're  willing,  I'd 
like  to  take  it  to  her  mvself." 


THEIR  BANQUET.  75 

«  Who  ? "  demanded  Delia. 

"  You  don't  mean  it !  "  said  Amelia,  looking  up  to 
see  if  Sally  could  be  in  earnest,  while  they  all  listened. 

"Yes,  I  do  mean  it,"  she  said,  very  decidedly. 

"She  has  such  a  hard  time  in  the  world,"  mur- 
mured Prue,  staring  at  the  fire,  "with  nobody  to  love 
her.  Yesterday  she  nodded  to  me.  as  much  as  to  say 
she  was  sorry  and  wanted  to  be  friends." 

"  Yes,  and  this  morning  I  found  a  box  of  fruit  on 
our  steps.  I  looked  up  and  saw  her  running  up  the 
street.  Have  divided  it,  according  to  Robinson,  into 
six  equal  and  equivalent  parts.  Please  call  to-morrow 
morning.  Later  than  that  I  wont  answer  for  it. 
But  I  started  to  say  that  if  she  has  forgiven  me,  we 
wont  be  outdone  in  the  matter,  will  we  ? " 

"  Well,  I  never ! "  said  Addie,  dropping  her  chin 
into  her  hands. 

"  I  do  believe,"  said  Margaret,  earnestly,  "  that 
every  body  has  got  some  good  in  them,  and  when  we 
are  wise  we  draw  out  that  side  of  their  nature.  And 
we  have  more  friends  in  school  than  when  we  were  so 
exclusive.  I  can't  help  but  notice  that.  One  of  the 
girls  who  was  present  in  the  cloak-room  said  that 
Sally's  speech  of  amends  was  the  kindest,  most  hon- 
est talk  she  ever  heard,  and  they  wrere  all  going  to 
stand  by  her." 

"Sh!"  warned  Sally,  "I  don't  deserve  it.  It  is 
comforting,  though,  for  I  do  have  to  watch  and  fight; 
but  you  mus'n't  flatter  me." 


76  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

What  a  week  it  was,  to  be  sure !  Cook-books  were 
the  text-books,  while  the  girls  hovered  with  burnt 
faces  over  cook-stoves  and  kitchen-tables.  Bridget 
grew  positively  cross  with  two  "  botherin'  girls "  in 
the  kitchen,  and  the  brothers,  Tom  and  Harry,  de- 
clared, they  deserved  a  banquet  as  a  reward  of  merit 
for  eating  so  many  trial  dishes  uncomplainingly. 
AVhen  in  history  the  question,  "  Who  led  the  French 
at  Waterloo?"  was  asked  of  Margaret,  she  answered, 
promptly,  "  Napoleon  Cake,"  and  wondered  what 
they  were  all  laughing  at.  To  which  Sally  (glad 
of  a  chance  at  the  correct  Margaret)  added,  later, 
that  "  it  was  a  case  where  the  English  got  the 
cake." 

Early  in  the  week  Fred  ran  over  for  a  neighborly, 
after-school  visit  with  Delia,  across  the  garden,  as  was 
his  wont,  and  bolted,  unannounced,  into  the  dining- 
room.  There  was  the  object  of  his  search  stretched 
out  on  the  sofa,  with  her  face  buried  in  the  em- 
broidered pillow.  A  big  gingham  apron  covered  her 
pretty  dress,  and  traces  of  flour  were  visible  on  her 
tumbled  hair. 

"What's— the— matter?  Are  you  sick,  Delia?  Or 
is  it  your  father,  or  what  is  it?"  and  he  stopped  mid- 
way from  the  door,  twirling  his  hat  in  perplexity, 
undecided  whether  to  flee,  or  to  stay  and  offer  to  help 
her  out.  A  brief  meditation  gave  him  the  suggestion 
that  it  might  be  a  wound.  The  sight  of  blood  always 
made  her  faint. 


THEIR  BANQUET.  77 

"  If  it's  a  cut  I  can  tie  it  up  for  you,  and  'twont 
hurt,  on  my  honor." 

"  O,  it  isn't  a  cut,"  sighed  Delia,  raising  a  tear- 
stained  face.  "  I'm  ashamed  to  cry  over  it,  and  I 
know  you'll  laugh  at  me." 

u  Ton  my  word  I  wont.  Who  knows  but  I  can 
help  you  ? "  and  he  moved  up  an  ottoman  and  turned 
a  sympathetic  face  toward  the  sofa. 

"It's  my  old  cake.  I  took  all  the  pains  in  the 
world  with  it,  until  I  was  tired  to  death,  and  I  didn't 
know  how  to  spend  the  time,  and  the  hateful  thing 
fell,  and  burned  black  on  the  bottom,  and  is  a  miser- 
able failure.  O  dear ! " 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  he  asked,  blankly,  trying  to  under- 
stand it.  "A  bit  of  cake!"  And  he  threw  back  his 
head  and  laughed  until  the  walls  rang. 

Delia's  first  impulse  was  one  of  fierce  indignation, 
but  the  laugh  certainly  was  contagious,  and  as  she 
remembered  his  alarm  at  her  sorrow,  the  affair  grew 
funny,  and  she  found  herself  joining  him. 

"I  ought  to  be  angry  with  you,"  she  said,  frown- 
ing, while  she  fanned  her  face  with  her  apron.  "  It's 
very  impolite  to  laugh  at  me,  to  say  nothing  of  your 
promise." 

"  Forgive  me.  I  thought  something  dreadful  had 
happened,  you  know.  How  Sally  will  enjoy  it  1 
Ha,  ha!" 

"Fred  Hunting!  Promise  me  this  minute  you  wont 
tell  a  soul,  or  I  shall  never  forgive  you ;  so  there ! " 


78  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"Not  even  Sally?" 

"  No,  indeed ;  it's  bad  enough  to  be  in  a  peck  of 
trouble,  without  having  every  body  laugh  at  you ! " 
and  Delia  looked  quite  aggrieved. 

"  Come,  get  out  your  dish  and  try  another.  I'll  GO 
the  stirring.  Really,  I  know  how  it's  done." 

"  How  comforting  you  are !  I  declared  I  wouldn't 
try  again  ;  but,  of  course,  I  must.  Let's  see  how  you 
look  with  a  big  apron  on." 

"  This'll  be  a  first-class  one,"  stooping  obediently 
for  Delia  to  tie  the  string  around  his  neck.  "  I'm 
going  to  smile  in  it,  you  know." 

And  truly  it  was,  as  was  that  entire  supper,  the 
result  of  many  trials  and  much  valuable  experience. 
It  is  safe  to  say,  the  Nichols  dining-room  never  pre- 
sented a  more  inviting  appearance  than  on  that  ban- 
quet-night. Mr.  Nichols,  who  had  come  to  realize 
that  the  society  was  not  for  nonsense,  sent  an  elab- 
orate flower-piece  for  the  center,  in  honor  of  the  dis- 
covery ;  Addie  executed  their  motto  in  delicate  lines 
of  red  sand  on  the  frosting  of  their  most  imposing 
cake,  while  the  table  \vas  adorned  with  the  rarest  and 
quaintest  dishes  they  could  bring  together.  Although 
knights  still,  yet  the  Round  Tablers  indulged  in  little 
feminine  decorations  that  always  accompany  an  extra 
occasion  —  best  dresses,  ribbons,  and  bright  colors. 
Even  Sally  combed  her  hair  becomingly,  and  lighted 
up  her  black  dress,  invariably  plain,  with  a  red  bow. 
Each  boy  found  his  hands  quite  full,  with  a  girl  at 


THEIR  BANQUET.  79 

each  elbow  to  be  waited  upon.  And,  O,  what  a  com- 
ical time  they  had  over  the  dishes !  Each  one  was 
eloquent  of  battle,  and  victory  or  defeat.  Sally,  who 
disliked  housewifely  arts,  declared  she  didn't  want 
another  banquet  for  recreation.  She'd  take  her  fun 
in  writing  the  history  of  the  world,  or  something  that 
was  easy.  When  Delia's  cake  was  passed  Fred  had 
the  audacity  to  call  it  his,  and  then,  by  way  of  ex- 
planation, had  to  tell  his  story,  which  was  considered 
the  best  yet.  But  Delia  had  revenge  by  describing 
Fred's  appearance  in  a  pinafore,  with  flour  on  his 
nose,  and  how  he  wanted  to  use  pain-killer  instead  of 
vanilla  for  flavoring,  and  she  heroically  interfered 
just  in  time  to  save  it.  Altogether  it  was  a  merry 
time.  And  then  the  dishes  were  removed,  and  the 
toast-master  arose  and  in  a  few  words  welcomed  The 
Round  Table  and  their  guests  to  their  first  "feast 
of  reason  and  flow  of  soul,"  and  announced  as  first 
toast : 

" '  The  Round  Table.'  Margaret  Foster." 
Margaret  arose,  with  an  obeisance  to  the  president, 
drew  out  a  little  paper,  and  began :  " '  As  a  circle  is 
the  most  perfect  thing  in  drawing,  so  "  The  Round 
Table  "  must  be  the  most  perfect  table  in  the  world. 
It  doesn't  sound  very  humble,  but  it  must  be  true. 
I'm  not  to  blame  for  the  conclusion.  It  has  six  legs, 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  though  the  legs  are  not 
of  the  same  height,  the  "table  "  is  perfectly  level.  I 
think  the  legs  may  be  appropriately  compared  to  the 


80  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Caryatides,  the  female  figures  in  architecture  that 
uphold  roofs.  This  is  the  picture  which  comes  to 
my  mind's  eye — a  circle  of  six  demure  maidens  bear- 
ing on  their  heads  "  The  Round  Table."  If  I  wasn't 
afraid  of  spoiling  the  figure,  I  should  say  it  was  borne 
on  their  hearts,  too.  But  I  suppose  a  table  is  valua- 
ble only  for  what  it  has  on  it.  You  don't  care  about 
its  being  polished  and  brilliant,  if  it's  bare.  Well, 
this  isn't.  It  is  always  set  with  plates  for  six,  and 
room  for  company.  It  is  plentifully  supplied  with 
substantial,  well- seasoned,  for  our  spices,  salt  and 
pepper,  come  directly  from  the  Smith  manufactory, 
our  extracts  from  the  Nichols  distillery,  and  our 
sweetmeats  from  the  Stevens  confectionery.  It 
abounds  in  the  food  that  makes  strong  muscles  and 
sinews,  and  that  will  help  on  growth.  It  is  on 
casters,  and  can  easily  be  moved  any  distance.  Has 
been  even  to  London  and  back.  It  is  strong  and 
well-made,  without  angles  or  corners  for  people  to 
run  against.  In  short,  it  has  a  good  strong  constitu- 
tion, and  can  carry  a  heavy  weight  without  creaking 
or  groaning.' '' 

Long-continued  applause,  with  cries  of  "  Good ! 
good ! "  followed  this  effort.  But  the  greatest  glory 
was  when  Harry,  the  quietest  boy  of  the  three,  arose, 
and  asked  if  he  might  not  have  the  toast,  to  which 
they  had  just  listened  with  so  much  pleasure,  for 
publication  in  the  "  Academy  Eureka,"  of  which  he 
was  editor.  This  was  considered  a  great  honor  by 


THEIR  BANQUET.  81 

the  girls,  who  treasured  it  up  to  be  talked  over  when 
they  were  alone. 

" '  Our  Aim,'  to  which  Miss  Prue  Stevens  will 
respond,"  announced  the  toast-master. 

'"As  runners  do  strive  in  a  race, 

With  gaze  firmly  fixed  on  the  prize, 
So  we  lay  aside  every  weight 

Till  the  goal  shall  gladden  our  eyes; 
Determined  neither  to  stumble  nor  fall, 
But  to  help  some  one  else  on  her  way,  that  is  all.' " 

repeated  Prue,  in  her  sweet  voice,  quite  frightened 
over  her  little  poem. 

"Longfellow  couldn't  beat  that,  I'll  wager,"  de- 
clared Fred,  earnestly. 

"  '  Mr.  Euclid  ! '     Sarah  Smith." 

"  Miss  Toast-master  and  friends :  I  am  here  to 
defend  Mr.  Euclid,  who  lias  basely  been  called  an 
instrument  of  torture  belonging  to  the  Dark  Ages  by 
one  of  your  society.  I  am  here  to  prove  it  false,  ut- 
terly and  entirely  false,  ma'am.  [Applause  from 
Fred.]  I  am  here  to  defend  him,  firstly,  because  he  is 
a  colored  man,  with  no  rights  that  others  are  bound  to 
respect,  as  he  lived  before  President  Lincoln  and  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation ;  and  secondly,  because 
he  can't  be  here  to  speak  for  himself.  I  say  it  is  base 
to  attack  a  man  when  he  has  good  reason  for  being 
absent.  Where  else  can  you  find  the  man  who  has 
written  twelve  books  on  the  same  subject  without 
repeating  himself  ?  And  what  a  noble  subject ! 
Geometry !  How  musical !  It's  enough  to  draw 


82  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

tears  from  our  eyes.  ["  That's  so,"  from  Delia,  at 
which  Sally  frowned  severely.]  I  defy  you  to  find 
elsewhere  such  lines.  What  figures  he  uses,  and  so 
many  points !  Match  him  if  you  can.  I  don't  say 
that  all  his  lines  are  poetical,  but  they  are  all  beauti- 
ful. And  such  sweeps  as  he  takes.  He  compasses 
every  thing.  As  for  his  conclusions,  there  is  no  get- 
ting away  from  them ;  they  prove  themselves,  and 
it's  no  use  to  disagree.  They  are  facts,  sir,  facts." 

"  I  call  that  cream  toast,"  said  Fred,  bowing  across 
the  table  at  Sally  as  she  sank  down  in  her  chair,  quite 
overcome. 

At  this  crisis  Tom  arose,  and,  with  an  oratorical 
wave  of  the  hand  toward  the  toast-master,  began  : 

" '  The  Ladies.'  Any  banquet  wouldn't  be  worthy 
of  the  name  without  this  toast,  and  so,  uninvited,  I 
rise  to  say  a  few  words — ahem !  I  do  not  speak  of 
ladies  in  general.  That  would  take  in  too  much  ter- 
ritory, my  friends,  and  I  should  find  myself  talking 
about  Eve,  who  was  Abel  to  do  but  little,  except  raise 
Cain,  and  who  I  don't  care  much  about  for  that  rea- 
son ;  but,  ladies  in  particular !  Ladies  of  this  glorious 
nineteenth  century,  who  can  make  bushels  of  good 
things  for  us  to  eat,  and  make  a  very  tolerable  show- 
ing in  geometry,  and  can  go  to  London  on  a  slim 
purse,  and  be  doctors  or  temperance  lecturers  when- 
ever occasion  requires,  and  many  other  things  too  nu- 
merous to  mention  !  As  for  me  and  the  rest  of  us 
horrid  boys,  we  will  stand  by  the  ladies." 


THEIR  BANQUET.  83 

"  Hear !  hear ! "  shouted  Harry. 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  ladies ! "  cried  Tom,  and  they 
were  given  with  such  a  will  that  the  deaf  old  house- 
keeper, who  had  a  chronic  fear  of  fire,  became 
alarmed  at  the  shouts,  and  rushed  to  the  door  with 
cap-strings  flying.  Then  what  a  merry  time  they 
had,  with  music  and  games,  until  the  old  clock  on  the 
stairs  warned  them  home. 

;'  Well,  what  shall  it  be  now  ?  "  asked  their  presi- 
dent, when  at  the  close  of  their  next  meeting  they 
had  been  discussing  the  success  of  their  banquet. 
"  We  have  only  two  Friday  nights  before  Christmas, 
you  know." 

"  Christmas  Day  is  always  such  a  dull  day,"  sighed 
Delia.  "  After  you've  looked  at  your  presents, 
there's  the  whole  long  day  with  nothing  to  do." 

"  It's  '  the  maddest,  merriest  day '  at  our  house,'' 
said  Addie.  "  only  so  short." 

"  It's  because  you're  not  all  alone  in  a  big  house. 
Papa  calls  it  a  holiday,  but  I  never  see  him  from 
morning  till  night,"  said  Delia,  looking  so  sad  that 
Addie  declared  to  Prue,  going  home,  that  she  should 
never  envy  Delia  her  gold  watch  and  diamond  ring 
again,  never.  Brothers  and  sisters  and  "good  times" 
were  so  much  more  comforting. 

"  I  have  thought  of  something  quite  appropriate 
to  Christmas  time,"  said  Margaret,  rocking  back  in 
her  chair,  and  rolling  her  eyes  meditatively.  "  Yon 
see,  we  shall  be  too  busy  to  prepare  for  our  meetings, 


84:  ANXALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

but  we  could  read  one  of  Dickens's  Christmas  stories. 
'  A  Christmas  Carol '  would  be  delightful.  Divide 
it  in  two  parts,  and  take  half  each  evening.  But 
that  isn't  the  best  tiling  about  it.  Supposing  we 
each  buy  a  doll,  bring  them  to  our  meetings,  and 
dress  them  while  we  are  listening  to  the  story." 

"  What  fun  ! "  shouted  Delia. 

"Didn't  suppose  that  second  childhood  came  so 
soon,"  and  Sally  shook  her  head  very  soberly  over  it. 

"  O,  I  didn't  mean  to  take  it  up  just  for  the  play, 
for  when  they  are  dressed  I  propose  that  we  send 
them  to  the  mission-school  Christmas-tree — our  little 
offering.  I'm  so  glad,  girls,  that  the  Author  of 
Christmas  Day  was  a  child  himself,  aren't  you  ? " 

"  Xo  doubt,  it's  a  Christian  duty  to  be  happy  on 
that  day,"  said  Sally. 

"  And  to  help  make  somebody  else  so,"  added  Prue, 
gently. 

"  Can  we  do  better  than  follow  this  plan  ? "  asked 
the  president,  to  which  they  responded  by  voting 
loudly  for  its  adoption. 

Indeed,  it  was  a  happy  thought. 

Friday  night "  The  Round  Table  "  became  the  recep 
tacle  for  bits  of  ribbon  and  lace,  bright-colored  meri- 
nos, work-bags,  thimbles,  and  dolls,  in  delightful  con- 
fusion. But  the  funniest  disclosure  was  when  Sally 
produced  from  her  cavernous  pocket  a  doll  of  the  Af- 
rican race,  and  proceeded  to  dress  it  in  boy's  clothes, 
with  yellow  waistcoat  and  bright  scarlet  neck-tie. 


THEIR  BANQUET.  85 

"Silks  and  other  frivolous  things  may  do  for  your 
American  girls,"  she  remarked,  with  a  disdainful 
shrug  at  them,  "  but  for  my  Pharaoh,  from  the  land 
of  the  pyramids,  I  must  have  something  more  sub- 
stantial," and  she  waved  a  piece  of  black  broadcloth, 
expressive  of  her  desire.  "  Prue  will  be  putting  wings 
on  hers,  if  we  don't  watch  her." 

Margaret  began  the  story,  and  while  the  fire  crackled 
cheerfully,  and  the  soft  light  fell  on  happy  faces  and 
busy  fingers,  she  read  of  old  Scrooge,  "  the  grasping, 
scraping,  clutching,  covetous  old  miser,"  who  growled 
that  "  every  idiot  who  goes  about  with  'Merry  Christ- 
inas' on  his  lips  should  be  boiled  with  his  own  pud- 
ding ;  "  and  how  he  had  a  visit  from  his  partner's  ghost, 
who  was  likewise  miserly,  and  wore  the  heavy  clank- 
ing chain  he  had  forged  in  his  cartli-life ;  and  how 
he  bore  the  message  that  Scrooge  should  be  visited  by 
three  spirits  of  Christmas  Past,  Present,  and  Future, 
who  came  one  by  one  bringing  a  dreary  panorama  of 
views  from  the  life  of  the  old  miser.  Sally,  who  read 
the  second  night,  had  to  clear  her  throat  repeatedly 
over  Tiny  Tim,  the  little  cripple-boy,  with  his  crutch 
and  iron  frame,  who  liked  to  think  at  Christmas  time 
of  Him  who  made  the  lame  to  walk,  and  proposed  the 
toast,  in  his  little  weak  voice,  "  God  bless  us,  every 
one !  "  The  chapter  they  liked  best  was  where  old 
Scrooge  woke  up  from  the  vision  of  his  Christmas 
Future,  where  he  saw  himself  dead  and  buried,  with 
every  body  glad  of  it,  and  nobody  to  say  that  he  had 


86  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

ever  spoken  a  kind  word  in  his  life,  and  found  it  only 
a  dream,  and  lie  yet  had  it  in  his  power  to  redeem  his 
worse-th an- wasted  life  and  make  his  little  corner  of 
the  world  happier,  after  all.  They  agreed  with 
Scrooge's  poor  nephew,  that  "Christmas  time  should 
be  a  kind,  forgiving,  charitable  time ;  the  only  time 
in  the  long  calendar  of  the  year  when  men  and 
women  open  their  shut-up  hearts  freely.  And,  there- 
fore, though  it  has  never  put  a  scrap  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver in  my  pocket,  I  believe  it  has  done  me  good.  God 
bless  it  !  " 

"  I  know  that  I  never  enjoyed  any  thing  more  in 
my  life,  though  the  set  of  my  polonaise  doesn't  just 
suit  me,"  said  Delia,  when,  at  the  close  of  the  story, 
she  arranged  the  six  dolls  in  a  row  to  be  inspected. 

"  Nor  I,"  joined  the  chorus. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Sally,  "  that  every  old  Scrooge  could 
have  a  vision.  Would  like  to  play  ghost  to  one  par- 
ticular one,  myself.  What  fun ! "  and  her  usually  so- 
ber face  kindled  at  the  thought.  "  I  wouldn't  spare 
him  a  pennyworth.  For  once  he  should  see  himself 
'  as  ithers  see  him.'  It's  the  old  landlord  who  owns 
the  blocks.  He  would  turn  Betty  right  out  into  the 
street  if  sailor  Jake  didn't  pay  the  very  first  hour  of 
the  new  month.  As  it  is,  he  keeps  them  tormented 
with  threatening  it  continually,"  and  Sally  stopped  to 
shake  her  fist  at  a  bent  old  stick  in  the  fire,  as  if  it 
were  the  miser  himself. 

"Just  think  how  wretched  he  must  be,"  murmured 


THEIR  BANQUET.  87 

Prue,  "  to  have  no  gladness  in  all  the  year,  and  no 
Christmas  Day.  I  do  just  pity  him." 

"  Bless  your  dear  heart !  You  would  pity  the 
wickedest  man  alive.  I  would  give  him  a  lesson. 
Just  notice  how  I  would  freeze  his  vitals  by  appear- 
ing to  him,"  and  Sally  trod  the  floor  with  a  ghostly 
step  and  whisper,  which  ended  in  a  general  laugh  all 
round. 

Of  course  they  went  down  to  the  mission-school 
tree,  for  "  where  the  treasure  is,  there  will  the  heart 
be  also."  The  superintendent,  who  had  carried  the 
burden  of  this  project  for  many  years,  and  grown 
weary  of  hearing  the  old  story,  "  If  it  were  some  other 
time  of  year  we  would  help,  but  we're  so  busy  our- 
selves, you  know,"  was  comforted  beyond  measure  by 
the  little  box  which  came  unasked. 

"  I  don't  know  what  kind  of  a  table  it  is,"  she  said, 
reading  the  inscription,  "  but  Heaven  bless  The  Round 
Table !  " 

Delia,  who  had  persuaded  her  father  into  adding  a 
basket  of  oranges,  said  afterward,  that  it  was  the  hap- 
piest minute  of  her  existence  when  her  father  stopped 
in  his  crowded  life  long  enough  to  kiss  her  and  say, 

"  That's  like  your  mother.  She  was  always  think- 
ing of  others." 

"  It  was  better  than  a  whole  lecture  against  selfish- 
ness," said  Delia,  looking  tearful,  but  very  happy. 

Headed  by  Prue,  they  made  a  Christmas  call  on 
Betty,  eacli  armed  with  something  to  make  the  old 


88  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

room  pleasanter.  Prue  and  Addie  had  a  package  of 
nuts  and  confectionery  ;  Amelia,  a  cretonne  work-bag 
for  Betty's  crochet ;  Margaret,  a  bright  picture-book ; 
Delia,  an  easy-chair,  which  she  had  found  in  the  attic, 
and,  with  Sally's  help,  had  supplied  with  a  missing 
leg,  and  cushioned.  Sally's  gift  surprised  them  all, 
who  knew  what  a  treasure  it  was  to  her.  Only  that 
old  picture  of  "The  Good  Shepherd."  You  may  have 
seen  it.  The  benignant  form  and  face  of  our  Saviour 
holding:  in  his  bosom  a  wee  lamb,  while  the  flock 

c}  » 

gather  about  him. 

"  Most  pictures  don't  mean  any  thing  to  me,"  de- 
clared Sally,  "  but  this  one  has  preached  me  many  a 
sermon,  and  it's  so  comfortable  to  give  what  you  have 
come  to  like  yourself.  It  isn't  much,  but  I  hadn't 
any  thing  else." 

To  the  poor,  little,  ignorant  lame  girl,  unable  to 
read  a  word  or  hear  a  church  service,  it  was  a  sermon, 
indeed.  She  confided  to  Prue,  one  day,  that  ever 
since  Sally  had  read  her  the  story  about  it  she  liked 
to  put  out  her  hand  to  touch  Him  when  the  pain  was 
bad.  Then  he  seemed  so  near. 

Sailor  Jake's  attempts  to  be  hospitable,  with  two 
stools  for  six  girls,  was  something  funny ;  but  O  ! 
how  delighted  he  was,  and  when  going  home  Delia 
announced,  with  startling  emphasis,  "  Girls,  this  is 
the  best  Christmas  of  my  life,"  not  one  wanted  to 
differ. 


RECEIVING  NEW-YEAK'S  CALLS.  89 


I 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RECEIVING    NEW-YEAR'S    CALLS. 

T  was  at  their  after-meeting  talk  following  Christ- 
inas that  Amelia  asked,  "Shall  you  receive  New- 
Year's  calls  this  year  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Delia.  "  It's  a  debt  we 
owe  society,"  quoting  from  her  "  Decorum." 

"  Never  did  such  a  thing,  and  never  want  to,"  an- 
swered Sally,  bluntly  ;  "  I  *  owe  no  man  any  thing.' ': 

"  '  Except  to  love  one  another,' "  came  in  a  whisper 
from  Prue's  corner. 

"  Supposing  we  all  receive  together,"  suggested 
Margaret. 

"  Yes  ;  that  would  certainly  be  a  very  pleasant  and 
proper  thing  to  do,"  said  Delia,  turning  in  her  book 
to  the  appropriate  chapter. 

"  If  Sally  will  join  us,  I  say,  '  Yes.'  "We  can't  get 
along  without  her.  Nobody  to  keep  us  cheerful,  you 
see,"  chirped  Addle. 

"  You  know  better : "  and  Sallv  began  to  ruffle  her 

t*  O 

hair.  "  I  should  yawn  dismally  all  day.  Full  dress 
and  ceremonies  for  a  whole  day  would  use  me  up 
'  intirely,  ma'am.' '' 

"  How  I  wish  you  would  wear  your  hair  in  a  Greek 
coil  and  help  us.  It's  so  becoming,"  coaxed  Delia. 


9Q  ANNALS  OF  THE  EOUND  TABLE. 

At  wliicli  Sally  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "It  al- 
ways makes  me  cross,  and  I  should  be  breaking  every 
rule  in  Delia's  '  Decorum,'  and  make  no  end  of 
trouble.  When  I  think  how  so  many  young  men 
spend  New  Year's,  I  just  wish  there  wasn't  any.'' 

"  For  that  very  reason,"  said  Margaret,  seizing  the 
opportunity,  "  we  should  keep  '  open  house '  on  New 
Year's  and  set  a  right  kind  of  example,  you  see." 

"What  is  a  right  kind  of  example?"  demanded 
Sally,  a  little  sharply. 

"  Why,  not  to  have  wine  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing ! " 

"  Is  that  all  ? " 

"Supposing  you  tell  us,  Sally,  how  we  are  to  carry 
out  our  principles  on  this  particular  occasion,"  said 
Margaret,  looking  up  inquiringly. 

"  Prue,  you'll  have  to  help  me  out,"  began  Sally, 
bumping  her  elbows  on  the  table,  distractedly  ;  "  but 
it's  something  about,  '  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  call 
the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind.'  What  is 
the  rest  of  it  ? " 

"  '  And  thou  shalt  be  blessed,' "  added  Prue. 

"  How  funny,"  laughed  Ad  die.  "  What  a  limping, 
stumbling,  crutchety  set  we  should  have !  A  regular 
infirmary." 

"  She  means  going  out  into  ,the  highways  and 
hedges  for  our  callers,"  explained  Amelia. 

"That's  it,  exactly.  Invite  all  the  bashful  boys 
and  little  boys  and  poor  boys  and  boys  that  are  never 


RECEIVING  XEW-YEAR'S  CALLS.  91 

invited  anywhere,  and  never  made  a  New- Year's  call 
in  their  lives.  That's  the  kind  I  should  feel  at  home 
with.  They  wouldn't  come  because  they  owed  it  to 
society,  or  to  make  remarks  on  the  spread,  or  to  crit- 
icise our  dresses,  or  be  bored." 

Delia  looked  doubtful  and  shook  her  head,  while 
they  all  grew  thoughtful  over  such  a  departure. 

"They  wouldn't  come,"  was  Amelia's  objection. 

"  I'll  risk  it,''  answered  Sally,  emphasizing  in  a  way 
that  shook  the  table. 

"  It  will  be  such  a  mixture,"  was  the  next  objection. 

"Xone  the  worse  for  that.  Lots  of  good  things 
are  mixed.  Pickles,  for  instance.  Of  course,  our 
three  honorary  members  will  come,  but  not  many 
professional  callers,  believe  me,  if  we  are  not  at 
Delia's." 

"  Meet  with  us,"  said  Prue.  "  We  are  always  quiet 
on  Xew  Year's." 

And  so,  after  much  consideration  and  hesitation 
over  what  they  called  Sally's  "  highways-and-hedges 
proposal,'1  they  agreed  to  try  it  for  one  year. 

"'Let  us  each  invite  five.  That  will  allow  for 
shrinkage." 

"  But  don't  let  us  allow  for  any  shrinkage  in  pro- 
vision," warned  Addie.  "  They  wont  be  the  delicate 
kind,  you  see."  » 

'•  There's  the  grocery  clerk,"  began  Prue,  counting 
on  her  lingers,  "  and  the  little  boy  from  the  country 
who  brings  us  eggs." 


92  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  And  my  Sunday-school  class,"  added  Margaret. 

"And  the  two  young  machinists  who  board  next 
door,"  from  Amelia. 

"And  papa's  office-boy,"  continued  Delia,  "and 
that  bundle-boy  who  is  so  good  to  his  mother,  you 
remember.  The  one  who  always  opens  the  door  for 
us.  And  we  must  try  to  have  a  variety  of  pretty 
dishes.  You  know,  the  dishes  of  a  table,  so  my 
book  says,  give  it  more  character  than  any  thing  else." 

"  O  my !  "  laughed  Addie,  "  /  thought  it  was  the 
thing  contained." 

"  Not  to  mention  the  people  who  will  surround  it 
on  this  occasion,"  added  Amelia,  with  emphasis. 

"  As  to  vestures,"  remarked  Sally ;  "  of  course,  I 
shall  wear  my  unfailing  black,  with  a  generous  bow 
of  some  sort.  It's  my  only  way  of  celebrating.  I 
wont  pass  that  law  on  you,  but  don't  let's  sit 
around  in  a  terrible  row  in  white  slippers  and  kids 
and  full  dress.  'Twould  frighten  these  poor  liitle 
chaps  worse  than  a  Hamlet's  ghost." 

"I  must  wear  my  new  dress,  but  I'll  promise  not 
to  be  frightful,"  said  Delia,  joining  in  the  laugh 
which  was  raised  at  Sally's  graphic  picture. 

The  very  next  morning  Sally  happened  out  on  the 
landing  just  in  time  to  waylay  her  troubadour,  who 
was  toiling  up  the  stairs  with  a  scuttle  of  coal  in  each 
hand,  for  this  German  lad  M*as  helping  out  scanty 
finances  by  taking  care  of  the  stoves  in  the  offices  of 
that  floor.  Already  he  and  Sally  had  exchanged  con- 


RECEIVING  NEW-YEAK'S  CALLS.  93 

fidences  on  their  neighbors,  particularly  old  "  Scrooge," 
who,  the  boy  declared,  "  vas  ver-y  cross  if  he  vas  a 
leetle  beet  late."  Indeed,  they  had  come  to  be  quite 
friends,  for  Sally  found  him  bright,  remarkably  intel- 
ligent, and  eager  to  learn.  She  had  loaned  him  her 
"Robinson  Crusoe"  and  "History  of  Rome,"  helped 
him  over  profit  and  loss  in  his  arithmetic,  and  com- 
pared feats  in  skating. 

"  Hermann,"  she  began,  taking  a  seat  beside  him 
on  the  steps  where  he  stopped  to  rest,  "  '  The  Round 
Table '  are  going  to  receive  calls  New  Year's  at  the 
Stevens's.  Can  you  come  ? " 

"  Not  for  me — to  call  ? "  and  the  honest  eyes 
opened  wide  with  surprise. 

"  Yes,  you.  We  can't  get  on  without  you.  Please 
come  and  sing  us  a  German  song.  Prue  will  play 
the  accompaniment,  like  a  little  harper  that  she  is." 

"  Are  dey  all  goot  fairies  like  you  ?  If  so,  I  come," 
looking  down  a  little  ruefully  at  his  threadbare 
clothes. 

"  Xo,  we're  not  fairies.  Too  much  '  of  the  earth 
earthy  '  for  that,  but  something  better — human  girls, 
so  don't  disappoint  us,"  earnestly  hoping,  as  she  ran 
down  the  stairs  to  join  Margaret  at  the  foot,  that 
Delia  would  be  enough  of  a  "goot  fairy"  to  leave  her 
"Decorum"  out  of  the  programme  just  for  one  day. 

Loud  were  the  shouts  on  New  Year's  when  Sally 
arrived,  last,  as  usual,  with  a  go-bang  board  under 
one  arm  and  her  famous  cat  under  the  other. 


94:  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"Any  thing,"  she  announced,  unmovedly,  "  is  better 
than  lining  the  wall  with  society  smiles." 

Two  long  hours  elapsed  before  any  one  came,  dur- 
ing which  Prue  vibrated  anxiously  between  the  coffee- 

O  •' 

pot  and  table,  for  they  had  set  their  table  in  a  hospita- 
ble corner  of  the  back  parlor,  during  which  Delia 
would  demand,  with  concern,  whether  her  hair  was 
coming  down,  and  declared,  tragically,  that  she  just 
knew  there  wouldn't  any  body  come ;  she  had  had 
her  doubts  about  it  from  the  very  first ;  while  Tom 
enlivened  the  scene  by  thrusting  his  head  in  at  the 
door  and  inquiring  how  many  calls  they  had  scored. 
When,  finally,  the  door-bell  did  give  a  faint  little 
tinkle,  their  first  impulse  was  to  rush  with  one  ac- 
cord into  the  hall  and  embrace  the  poor  youth  who 
had  saved  their  brilliant  plan  from  being  a  huge  joke. 
Thrice  welcome,  then,  was  the  bundle-boy,  before 
mentioned,  whom  Delia  entertained  with  a  fervor 
wholly  unexpected,  allowing  him  to  beat  her  in  their 
game  and  feeding  him  bountifully  on  her  fruit  cake 
and  maccaroons.  Truly  over  half  of  the  number  in- 
vited came,  which  they  declared  was  more  than  they 
had  secretly  dared  to  expect.  One  of  Margaret's 
boys  owned  later  that  he  blacked  his  boots  extra,  on 
purpose,  and  got  as  far  as  the  corner,  when  his  cour- 
age failed.  One  bashful  lad  made  them  well-nigh 

a  O 

lose  their  gravity,  who  ran  into  the  hall-door  casing, 
trod  on  Amelia's  toes  as  she  led  the  way  to  the  table, 
brought  up  against  it  in  a  way  that  made  every  dish 


RECEIVING  XEW- YEAR'S  CALLS.  95 

jump,  and  upset  his  coffee-cup.  To  add  to  the  trying 
circumstances,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  boy  who 
stuttered,  who,  after  painful  efforts  at  a  New- Year's 
greeting,  lapsed  into  a  pathetic  silence.  Indeed,  they 
seemed  to  wish  they  had  not  come,  until  after  re- 
freshments, when  Sally  brought  out  her  cat  and  they 
had  opportunity  to  give  vent  to  their  feelings  by  a 
hearty  laugh  all  round.  Another  boy,  who  mistook 
the  lemon-jell  for  an  iced  drink  and  attempted  to  use 
it  as  a  beverage,  amused  them  much.  On  leaving,  he 
presented  to  Prue  his  card,  adorned  with  a  brilliant 
impossible  rose,  and  a  sheet  of  paper  containing 
specimens  of  his  hand-writing,  over  which  the  other 
girls  wailed  tragically  and  declared  themselves 
"  slighted."  In  spite  of  these  few  drawbacks,  it  was 
a  jolly  day.  It  had  a  bountiful  supply  of  spice  in  the 
shape  of  variety,  and  there  was  a  genuineness  and 
heartiness  about  these  natural  boys  that  fully  atoned 
for  lack  of  society  polish.  Last  of  all  Sally's  German 
boy  came  to  wish  them  "  a  goot  year."  Delia  could 
not  refrain  from  lifting  her  eyebrows,  nor  Addie  from 
smiling,  when  he  appeared  in  the  parlor  wearing 
winter-gloves  adorned  with  conspicuous  fur-tops, 
which  he  kept  on  through  the  ordeal  of  eating  and 
singing ;  for,  of  course,  he  sang  to  them  a  song  of  "  die 
faderlandt."  This  captured  them  entirely,  greatly  to 
Sally's  delight,  who  had  longed,  lo,  these  many  days, 
to  introduce  her  "•diamond  in  the  rough"  to  the  girls, 
and  had  found  this  such  a  good  opportunity. 


96  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  More,  more ! "  she  shouted,  wildly,  waving  an 
available  tidy,  when  he  stopped  for  breath. 

"  It  vill  gif  me  pleasure,"  he  responded,  turning  to 
beam  on  Sally  and  bowing  in  a  way  that  won  Delia 
completely. 

And  so  he  sang  another,  and  then  they  all  joined 
in  "  My  country,  'tis  of  thee,"  in  the  midst  of  which 
the  door-bell  rang  violently,  and  Amelia  ushered  in 
their  three  honorary  members.  What  a  happy  co- 
incidence it  was,  to  be  sure. 

"  Our  Table  hasn't  any  bass  in  it,  but  Sally,"  said 
Margaret,  flying  about  to  shake  hands  with  each  one, 
and  introduce  them  to  the  new  boy,  "  and  you're  just 
in  time  to  help  her  out  on  the  last  verse." 

At  this  Sally  arose  for  a  challenge. 

"  How  do  you  spell  it  ? "  she  demanded,  in  a  tone 
that  brought  the  house  down. 

After  the  song  they  settled  down  to  the  fragments 
of  the  feast,  which  Addie  informed  them  were  not 
twelve  baskets  full.  Fred  declared,  gallantly,  that  it 
was  the  best  thing  he  had  seen  all  day  any  way,  and 
"  fell  to  "  in  a  way  that  proved  it. 

"Will  you  have  some  white  wine?"  asked  Tom, 
holding  the  water-pitcher  above  Fred's  goblet. 

"  Yes,  sir ; "  and  he  grew  sober  as  the  girls,  under  a 
common  impulse,  turned  their  eyes  on  him. 

"  It's  the  only  brand  I  use  nowadays.  Had  a 
chance  to  refuse  the  sparkling  kind  twice  to-day  while 
I  was  calling." 


RECEIVING  NEW-YEAR'S  CALLS.  97 

"  O,  do  let's  help  each  other  to  be  thankful,"  said 
Delia,  fervidly. 

"  Harry,  I  hope  yoiT  delivered  a  temperance  lect- 
ure on  the  spot,"  said  Amelia,  burning  to  execute 
judgment. 

"  ]STo  ma'am,  but  we  shook  off  the  very  dust  of  our 
feet  against  them." 

"  That's  hardly  true,"  amended  Fred,  "  owing  to  the 
season  of  the  year,  but  we  did  make  a  New-Year's 
resolution  on  it." 

"  And  you  expect  us  to  have  faith  in  New- Year's 
resolutions,  do  you  ? "  laughed  Addie,  shaking  her 
head. 

"  Of  course,  they  do,"  said  Prue,  with  unusual 
spirit,  touching  Addie's  foot  under  the  table. 
"  They're  the  best  kind/' 

"  Tom  is  always  laughing  at  mine,  even  about 
my  reading  the  Bible  through,  and  I  guess  I  can 
laugh  back,"  retaliated  Addie,  not  to  be  quenched. 

"  Beg  your  pardon,"  answered  Tom  ;  "  I  don't  laugh 
at  you  for  resolving,  but  for  taking  a  vacation  on  it. 
Sometimes,  you  know,  you  get  as  far  as  past  the 
angel  with  the  flaming  sword,  but  even  then  you  are 
sure  to  get  drowned  in  the  deluge,  and  all  is  quiet 
until  another  New  Year  sends  you  back  to  ;  In  the 
beginning.' ': 

As  this  was  quite  true,  Addie  had  no  reply  but  to 
join  in  the  laugh  that  was  raised  against  her. 

"  Nevertheless,"  declared  Margaret,  "  I  do  believe 


98  A.NNAL8    OF   THE   ROUND    TABLE. 

in  New- Year's  resolves.  To  read  to  the  deluge  is  bet- 
ter than  not  to  begin  at  all,  and,  we  know,  ever  so 
many  beginnings  are  made  on  New  Year's  that  last  all 
the  year.  Sally,  what  are  you  wrinkling  your  fore- 
head over  ? " 

"  I  was  just  '  a-thinking '  that,  likely  as  not,  any 
day  could  begin  a  new  year  for  us.  The  resolve  is 
more  than  the  day,  isn't  it  ?  Come,  Hermann,  it's 
your  turn  to  speak  on  the  subject." 

"  No,  no,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head  and  looking  as 
if  he  wanted  to  slip  under  the  table  out  of  sight. 
But  as  they  were  listening,  he  looked  up  at  Sally,  as 
the  answer  was  for  her,  and  said,  earnestly, 

"  Vhen  we  haf  a  new  vhite  page  gifen  us,  is  it  not 
veil  that  ve  say,  ' It  shall  haf  no  black  stain  on  it?" 

"  Yes,  yes,''  cried  Sally,  clapping  her  hands. 

"  What  a  pretty  way  of  putting  it ! "  commented 
Delia. 

"  Let  us  do  it,"  said  the  practical  Amelia.  "  All 
in  favor  say  '  Ay.' " 

And  "  Ay "  it  was,  in  real  earnest,  while  beneath 
the  smiling  faces,  in  the  depths  of  secret  souls,  reso- 
lutions were  made  that  New- Year's  night  that  might 
have  made  the  angels  glad. 


A  KIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.  99 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS. 

"F1EIDAY  night — and  with  much  shoving  of  chairs 
Jj  and  rattling  of  papers,  they  were  taking  their 
places  about  the  round  table  in  the  pleasant  library  at 
Delia's. 

"How  did  you  come  to  think  of  such  a  thing?" 
asked  Addie  of  Amelia,  as  she  straightened  out  her 
manuscript,  and  laid  her  Bible  down  beside  it. 

"  Father  suggested  it,  and  I  liked  the  idea." 

"  It  has  taken  effect  in  a  way  to  please  him,  I'm 
sure,"  said  Delia,  patting  her  new  morocco  Bible,  and 
glancing  around  at  the  five  who  were  each  armed 
with  one. 

"  I  wonder,"  began  Prue,  "  if  any  of  you  had  such 
trouble  as  I  in  selecting  your  favorite.  It  was  really 
quite  a  trial ;"  and  she  sighed  a  little,  which  seemed 
to  amuse  Sally,  who  chuckled  under  her  breath. 

u  I  never  thought  of  its  being  a  trial,  though  I  did 
hesitate  on  a  choice.  There  were  the  three  Hebrew 
children,  with  the  unpronounceable  names,  that  I've 
always  liked — being  short,  too ;  but  there  were  three 
instead  of  one,  so  I  couldn't  speculate  on  the  furnace 
that  was  heated  seven  times  hotter  than  ever  before. 


100  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Girls,  had  you  ever  thought  how  hot  that  furnace 
must  have  been  ? " 

"  O,  it  can't  be  worked  out  in  mathematics,  so  put 
up  your  pencil,"  laughed  Delia.  "  And  do  see  how 
Margaret  marks  her  Bible,"  turning  over  the  leaves, 
inquiringly. 

"  Why  ? "  asked  Margaret,  in  a  quiet  manner  ;  "  is 
it  wicked  ? " 

"N— o,  but— " 

"  She  means  that  it  should  be  new  and  fresh,  like 
hers,"  said  Sally,  reprovingly. 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Delia,  with  a  frown  for  Sally ; 
"  but  what  is  your  system  ?  You  know  we  have 
promised  to  share  ideas  with  each  other.  If  it's 
something  good,  why  shouldn't  we  all  know  it  ? " 

"  Simply  that  I  mark  all  the  sermon-texts  and 
every  verse  that  I  learn,  and  here  on  the  fly-leaf  are 
the  references  to  my  special  verses ;  those  that  I  like 
best,  you  know." 

"  How  nice  ! "  declared  Delia,  resolving  to  adopt 
that  plan  of  Bible  study  at  once. 

"  Do  one  of  your  verses  speak  about  being  per- 
plexed ? "  asked  Sally,  so  earnestly  that  they  all 
looked  up  to  see  what  was  meant. 

"  Why,  yes,  here's  one :  '  And  it  came  to  pass,  as 
they  were  much  perplexed  thereabout,  behold,  two 
men  stood  by  them  in  shining  garments.' " 

"  0,  me  !  that  was  long  ago,"  sighed  Sally,  anxious- 
ly, yet  marking  the  verse  in  her  Bible. 


A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.         101 

"  What  is  it,  dear  ? "  wliispered  Prue,  beginning  to 
feel  uneasy  over  Sally's  sorrowful  face,  so  unusual. 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Sally,  so  sharply  that  Prue 
didn't  dare  press  further,  and  contented  herself  with 
stealing  sly  glances  from  her  paper  at  Sally,  who 
seemed  to  feel  that  she  was  being  watched,  and  there- 
fore determined  to  be  stubbornly  non-committal. 

"  If  angels  don't  come  down  to  us  now — I  believe 
we  do  get  help  over  the  worriments  just  the  same," 
said  Amelia ;  "  and  now,  if  you  please,  we  will  listen 
to  '  The  life  of  your  favorite  Bible  character  Prue 
Stevens.'  " 

"  '  More  than  two  thousand  years  ago  a  woman  and 
her  two  daughters-in-law  might  have  been  seen  going 
from  Moab  to  Bethlehem.  A  few  years  before,  there 
had  been  a  famine  in  Bethlehem,  and  a  certain  man, 
his  wife,  and  two  sons,  had  moved  to  Moab,  a  country 
of  idolaters.  The  sons  had  married  there,  and  soon 
after,  they  and  their  father  died.  Then  the  mother, 
Naomi,  started  for  her  old  home,  and  her  daughters- 
in-law  "  went  a  piece  "  with  her.  When  they  came  to 
part  they  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wept,  and  Ruth 
refused  to  go  with  her  sister,  back  to  her  people  and 
her  gods  ;  and  when  Naomi  urged  the  matter,  she  re- 
plied, "  Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  or  to  return 
from  following  after  thee  :  for  whither  thou  goest,  I 
will  go  ;  and  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge :  thy 
people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God  : 
where  thou  diest,  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  bur- 


102  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

led  :  the  Lord  do  so  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  aught 
but  death  part  thee  and  me."  I  quote  all  of  Ruth's 
reply,  because  I  read  that  Voltaire,  who  hated  the 
Bible,  said  it  was  not  surpassed  by  any  thing  in  Ho- 
mer or  Herodotus.' ' 

Here  every  girl  marked  those  matchless  verses  of 
Ruth  as  among  the  especial  verses. 

"  '  In  Bethlehem  lived  a  kinsman  of  Naomi's,  "  a 
mighty  man  of  wealth,  and  his  name  was  Boaz,"  and 
Ruth  went  to  glean  in  his  field.  He  was  very  kind 
to  his  reapers,  and  greeted  them  by  saying,  "  The 
Lord  be  with  you ;"  to  which  they  answered,  "  The 
Lord  bless  thee ! "  When  Boaz  saw  Ruth  he  in- 
quired all  about  her,  and  then  he  talked  beautifully 
to  her  and  waited  upon  her  at  meal-time,  and  told 
the  reapers  to  drop  handfuls  for  her  to  glean.  Then 
she  bowed  herself  to  the  ground  and  said,  "  Why  have 
I  found  grace  in  thine  eyes,  seeing  I  am  a  stranger  ?  " 
To  which  Boaz  answers,  "  It  hath  fully  been  showed 
me,  how  thou  hast  left  thy  father  and  thy  mother, 
and  the  land  of  thy  nativity,  and  art  come  unto  a 
people  which  thou  knewest  not  heretofore.  And  a 
full  reward  be  given  thee  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
under  whose  wings  thou  art  come  to  trust."  It  seems 
that  before  Boaz  had  any  right  to  marry  Ruth  he 
must  offer  her  to  a  nearer  kinsman,  which  he  prompt- 
ly did.  But  as  this  kinsman  could  not  redeem  the 
family  possessions,  he  relinquished  all  claim  in  favor 
of  Boaz,  and  plucked  off  his  shoe,  which  was  the  way 


A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.         103 

they  had  in  Israel  of  sealing  a  bargain,  and  it  has 
come  to  be  a  part  of  every  wedding  ceremony  since. 
And  all  the  people  that  were  in  the  gate  and  the 
elders  were  the  witnesses,  and  gave  their  congratula- 
tions, and  so  Ruth  became  great-grandmother  to  King 
David,  and  an  ancestress  of  our  Saviour.' ': 

"  What  a  satisfactory  ending  !  "  sighed  Delia. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  every  bride  who  has  a 
shoe  thrown  after  her  owes  it  all  to  Ruth  ? "  asked 
Margaret. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  answered  Prue,  promptly.  "  I 
think  the  Bible  proves  it." 

"Xo  use  of  argument,"  said  Sally,  "  when  we  come 
to  the  Bible,  Prue  wont  be  routed." 

Delia,  who  came  next,  told  them  about  David, 
from  the  time  he  was  a  shepherd-boy  on  the  hills  of 
Judea,  through  his  narrow  escapes  from  Saul's  hatred, 
and  exile,  and  reign,  dwelling  much  on  the  magnifi- 
cence of  his  kingdom. 

Addie,  in  answer  to  the  call  for  her  favorite  Bible 
character,  announced  "Daniel,"  drawing  a  graphic 
picture  of  that  night  in  the  den,  making  prominent 
the  growling  and  gnashing  and  foaming  lips — alto- 
gether a  terrifying  prospect — and  contrasted  Daniel 
with  the  angel  guarding  the  lions'  mouths. 

Margaret  read  to  them  the  thrilling  story  of  Jo- 
seph— of  his  dreams,  of  being  put  in  the  pit  and  sold 
as  a  slave  into  Egypt,  and  then  becoming  prime  min- 
ister of  that  mighty  nation,  and  feeding  his  father's 


104:  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

family.  She  spoke  particularly  of  the  crisis  when  he 
announced  himself  iii  these  simple  words,  "I  am 
Joseph.  Doth  my  father  yet  live  I " 

Sally,  when  called  out,  said  that  Paul  was  unde- 
niably the  greatest  man  in  the  Bible,  because  he  was 
so  brave  and  daring,  and  had  an  angel  visitant  in 
prison,  and  on  a  shipwrecked  vessel,  and,  as  a  crown- 
ing glory,  was  a  martyr  in  imperial  Rome.  But  she 
didn't  feel  competent  to  be  his  biographer,  and  so 
had  taken  Peter,  because  he  set  the  example  of  short 
prayers,  and  left  a  boat-load  of  fishes  to  be  a  disciple 
just  when  business  was  at  its  height. 

"Just  think,"  said  the  president,  when  the  pro- 
gramme was  over,  "how  many  have  been  omitted. 
Moses,  and  Abraham,  who  obeyed  the  command  to 
seek  a  better  country,  '  not  knowing  whither  he 
went,'  and  Esther,  the  beautiful  queen,  who  saved  her 
people — 

"  And  Pilate,"  added  Sally,  emphatically,  as  they 
all  stared.  "  He  wasn't  half  as  much  to  blame  as 
he  has  credit  for.  I  really  felt  strongly  moved  to 
defend  him.  Read  it  and  see  for  yourself." 

The  perplexity  which  she  had  succeeded  so  well  in 
shutting  up  to  herself  would  have  been  perfectly  vis- 
ible to  any  one  who  could  have  taken  a  peep  into  the 
little  upper-story  homo  a  few  hours  later.  Every 
thing  indicated  that  something  unusual  was  brewing. 
Mother  rocked  nervously  in  her  sewing-chair,  while 
the  lines  on  forehead  and  cheeks  grew  deep  and 


A  XIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.          105 

ious.  Sally,  with  chin  on  her  hands,  sat  resolutely 
on  her  stool  trying  to  stare  a  solution  out  of  the  old- 
fashioned  carpet. 

"  Given,  twenty-five  dollars  a  month,"  she  repeated, 
slowly,  "  minus  the  fifteen  in  a  broken  bank.  If  I 
could  only  square  it,  or  cube  it,  or  think  of  a  hypothe- 
nuse  to  make  the  ends  meet,"  still  staring. 

"  My  dear,  I  have  made  vests  once,  and  I  can  do  it 
again,"  interposed  the  mother,  gently. 

"  The  idea  !  "  shouted  Sally,  sitting  up  very  straight. 
"  Do  you  suppose  I'll  allow  it  for  a  minute,  with  that 
ugly  pain  in  your  side  ?  No,  ma'am."  And  here  she 
stood  up  at  full  length,  and  looked  down  on  the  little 
mother  in  a  most  protecting  and  overshadowing  way  ; 
over  which  the  mother  choked  a  little,  murmuring 
such  foolish  words  as  "  a  treasure,"  "  a  blessed  prov- 
idence," and  like  expressions,  which  made  Sally  grow 
more  erect  and  determined  every  minute. 

"After  this  term  closes  I'll  join  the  victorious 
army  of  school-ma'ams,  and  hunt  around  for  some 
school-house  in  the  corner  of  the  fence.  How  per- 
fectly glorious,  independence  will  be  !  " 

"But  your  plans  for  graduation  and  business?" 
murmured  the  mother,  anxiously. 

"Bless  you!  Don't  pity  me.  Extend  it  to  the 
infants  who  will  find  themselves  to  have  fallen  on 
evil  days.  Poor  things!  I  never  was  born  for  a 
teacher.  Would  have  made  a  better  soldier  when  it 
comes  to  fighting,"  looking  up  at  the  portrait  with 


106  AXXAL8    OF   THE   ROUND    TABLE. 

earnest  aud  undisguised  admiration.  "How  things 
do  get  twisted  in  this  world  !  Seems  as  if  they  ought 
to  be  straightened,"  frowning,  and  tapping  her  foot 
impatiently.  "  There's  sailor  Jake — as  soon  as  he 
signed  the  pledge  he  lost  his  place,  and  has  to  depend 
on  odd  jobs  and  Harry  Stevens's  subscription-list — and 
here  we  are,  with  our  little  all  in  a  broken  bank,  and 
must  subsist,  henceforth  and  forever,  on  a  bit  of  a 
pension.  Why  didn't  it  happen  to  old  Scrooge  ?  I 
say  it  isn't  right !  "  and  down  went  the  chin  into  her 
hands  while  rebellion  rankled  in  her  soul. 

The  mother  was  too  wise  to  offer  a  rebuke  or 
preach  a  sermon  on  necessary  chastening,  as  the  man- 
ner of  some  would  have  been.  Instead,  she  sat 
quietly,  leaving  Sally  alone  with  the  hard  problem, 
until,  as  dusky  shadows  crept  into  the  room,  she  be- 
gan humming  gently,  and  then  singing,  in  a  quavery 
voice,  that  hymn  which  had  comforted  her  many 

times : 

" '  I  know  not  wh.it  shall  befall  me, 

God  lianas  a  mist  o'er  my  eyes  ; 
And  at  each  step  in  my  onward  way 

He  makes  new  scenes  to  arise. 
Not  knowing — not  knowing, 

I'll  follow  where'er  he  leads.'" 

Slowly  the  hard  lines  melted  away,  and  soon  Sally 
jumped  up  from  her  drooping  position,  seized  the 
lamp,  and  gave  the  match  a  vigorous  scratch,  saying, 
in  the  old  brave  way,  that  was  like  a  balm  to  the 
sore-hearted  mother : 


A  XIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.          107 

"  There !  no  more  of  that.  I've  had  the  indigo 
blues  for  forty-eight  hours,  just !  Now,  I'm  going  to 
shoulder  my  knapsack,  and  attend  to  marching 
orders." 

Just  here  there  was  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  in  came 
Prue,  with  her  skates  over  her  arm,  saying : 

"  Come,  Sally,  they're  all  going  down  to  the  pond. 
Ice  is  splendid,  Tom  says." 

"  Just  as  much  obliged,"  faltered  Sally,  straighten- 
ing her  flying  bow,  which  had  suffered  during  her 
hour  of  meditation,  "  but  I  can't  go  to-night.  Tell 
them  so.  It's  out  of  the  question." 

"  She  must,  go,"  said  Tom,  defiantty,  as  a  cry  of 
dismay  greeted  Prue's  announcement. 

"  Hush,  Tommy.  She's  in  some  trouble,  I'm  sure, 
and  I'm  going  back  to  stay  with  her." 

"  She's  the  only  girl  among  you  that  can  race. 
Pshaw  ! " 

"  Let  us  give  it  up  for  to-night,  and  all  come  up  to 
our  house,"  proposed  Delia.  "  And  you,  Prue,  come 
and  tell  us  what's  the  matter,  after  you've  pre- 
scribed." 

"  That  is  ferry  veil,"  said  Hermann,  who  had  been 
invited  to  this  skating  for  Sally's  sake,  and  now 
looked  very  sorrowful. 

"  You  vill  comfort  her,"  touching  his  cap  to  Prue, 
"  'cause  she  call  you  her  goot  angel." 

Try  as  best  they  might,  during  the  hour  at  Delia's, 
the  time  lagged  heavily.  They  so  much  missed  the 


108  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

tall  lass,  with  tumbled  hair  and  twisted  collar,  who 
was  so  staid  herself,  and  convulsed  every  body  else. 
When  Prue  came  in,  Delia  unpinned  her  shawl,  Mar- 
garet untied  her  hood,  and  all  begged  her  to 
begin. 

"  It's  simply  this :  they've  lost  their  money  in  a 
Western  bank,  and  have  nothing  but  a  little  pension. 
Sally  says  she  had  set  her  heart  on  graduating,  and 
then  entering  a  business  college.  She  says,  ever  since 
Margaret  gave  as  her  quotation  one  night,  '  Neglect 
not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee,'  she  has  determined  to 
cherish  her  one  little  talent  of  mathematics,  and  turn 
it  to  business  account.  She  drew  such  a  comical  pict- 
ure of  herself,"  and  here  Prue's  anxious  face  relaxed 
into  a  smile,  "  up  to  her  chin  in  ledgers,  with  goose- 
quills  over  both  ears  and  in  her  hair,  reveling  in  prin- 
cipal and  interest,  and  columns  upon  columns  of 
addition.  But  she  said  this  glorious  prospect  was  not 
for  her.  Instead,  she  must  toe  the  crack  of  some  den 
built  for  the  promulgation  of  cruelty  to  children,  gird 
on  a  ferule,  and  pound  in  the  alphabet." 

At  this  graphic  speech  Prue's  risibles  were  too 
much  for  her,  while  they  all  joined  in  the  laugh. 

"  What  a  comforter  you  must  have  been !  "  re- 
marked Harry. 

"  I  know  'twas  dreadful  of  me,  but  I  couldn't  help 
it,"  said  Prue,  penitently.  "  She  looked  so  tierce  over 
it,  and  made  such  wild  gestures,  it  was  just  too  much 
for  her  mother  and  me." 


A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.         109 

"  But '  The  Eound  Table !'  "  began  Amelia.  "  What 
shall  we  do  without  her  ? " 

"  Can't  it  stand  on  five  legs  ? "  asked  Fred. 

"  No  ! "  shouted  the  chorus. 

"It  will  totter  to  its  fall,"  moaned  Delia,  quoting 
from  her  Roman  history. 

"  Can't  we  help  her  ? "  asked  Margaret,  at  which 
Prue  grew  troubled  again  and  shook  her  head. 

"  She's  so  dreadfully  independent,  you  know.  She 
commanded  me  not  to  pity  her,  and  declared  that  hard 
things  were  good  for  people.  When  I  came  away 
she  braced  herself  against  the  wall  and  told  me  to 
'  bring  on  the  bears '  in  that  droll  way  of  hers,  but  I 
knew  it  was  only  to  hide  her  disappointment." 

"  She's  a  plucky  one,"  said  Tom,  admiringly. 

And  then  they  all  lapsed  into  silence,  which  Delia 
interrupted  by  reminding : 

"  You  know  our  constitution  pledges  us  to  help 
one  another." 

"  Who  knows  any  thing  about  the  evening  school 
for  book-keepers  ? "  asked  Amelia,  in  her  straightfor- 
ward way. 

"  I  do,  and  it's  a  good  one,"  said  Harry. 

"  And  I  have  a  ticket  I  can't  use,"  added  Fred. 

"  But  she  wont  take  it,"  said  the  chorus. 

And  here  Tom  rose  to  his  feet  with  his  best 
bow. 

"  If  the  honorable  body  now  in  session  will  leave 
this  matter  to  this  unworthy  servant,  the  bearer,  he 


110  ANNALS  OF  THE  EOUND  TABLE. 

will  execute  the  will  of  said  body  to  the  best  of  his 
ability." 

Applause  followed,  and  full  power  in  the  matter 
was  bestowed  upon  this  eloquent  messenger. 

"  If  only  the  Educational  Board  would  put  the  fifty 
dollars  as  a  prize  for  mathematics  and  book-keeping, 
instead  of  the  sciences,  next  June,  Sally  would  surely 
get  it,  and  that  would  give  her  six  months  in  her 
college,  with  a  good  chance  of  getting  a  position 
here,"  proposed  Margaret,  not  without  a  little  pang, 
for  in  the  sciences  she  herself  stood  a  chance. 

"  Nothing's  been  said  about  it ;  why  can't  it  be 
done  ? "  asked  Addie,  running  a  trill  on  the  treble  of 
the  piano.  "  Prizes  are  like  the  stars  of  the  firma- 
ment to  me — very  pretty,  but  too  far  off  to  be  in- 
teresting." 

"I'll  besiege  papa  on  that  very  point  to-night," 
declared  Delia,  rising  to  go,  "  and  you  know  he's 
chairman  of  that  committee." 

"  And  I'll  hint  darkly  to  the  professor  that  unless 
he  bears  that  way  he'll  lose  his  best  geometrist,"  said 
Fred,  slinging  his  skates  over  his  shoulder.  "  That'll 
make  him  rub  his  glasses  and  attend  to  business." 

Just  how  it  came  about  nobody  knows,  but  at  the 
very  next  meeting  of  the  Board  it  was  announced  that 
the  student  who  should  lead  in  mathematics,  showing 

f  O 

likewise  the  best  books,  should  receive  the  fifty-dollar 
prize.  Over  this  "  The  Round  Table  "  had  a  brief 
but  exultant  jubilee,  and  each  girl  in  turn  embraced 


A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.          Ill 

Delia  in  the  cloak-room  that  morning,  and  demanded 
to  know  how  it  ever  happened. 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  Delia,  "  I  just  presented  the 
case  yesterday  after  dinner,  arid  begged  papa  to  leave 
off  thinking  of  politics  and  clients  for  one  little  morn- 
ing, and  hear  our  plans.  He  listened  real  good  for 
him,  and  said  he  would  do  his  best  for  us.  'T\vas 
such  a  fortunate  thing  that  he  especially  likes  Sally. 
You  see,  one  day  when  she  lunched  with  us,  papa 
spoke  of  tariff,  and,  do  you  believe,  she  knew  all  about 
it,  and  argued  her  side  beautifully.  Wasn't  papa  as- 
tonished ?  'Twas  downright,  fun,  and  I  was  so  proud 
of  her  !  I  suppose  he  thought  all  girls  were  like  me 
— •'  ribbons  and  nonsense.'  r 

"•  Did  you  put  it  strong  ? "  asked  Addie,  with 
interest. 

"  I  told  him  we  just  couldn't  exist  without  her. 
But  he  laughed,  and  said  he  guessed  we  could.  Of 
course,  you  can't  expect  a  man  to  appreciate  our  feel- 
ings in  such  matters." 

In  truth  Mr.  Nichols  was  much  more  interested  in 
"  The  Round  Table  "  than  he  had  ever  taken  trouble 
to  say.  His  idea  of  it  all  was  very  dim,  but  he  did 
observe  that  his  Delia  passed  no  more  listless,  fretful 
hours  ;  that  she  was  growing  unselfish,  was  wonder- 
fully thoughtful  of  others,  and  was  cultivating  a  taste 
for  the  books  that  he  read,  instead  of  the  trash  which 
had  predominated.  On  the  occasion  of  the  tariff 
question,  before  mentioned,  he  was  much  amazed  at 


112  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Delia's  friend,  and  delighted  her  heart,  before  the 
meal  was  over,  by  telling  her  that  he  knew  her  father 
well,  and  he  was  one  of  the  bravest  of  all  the  noble 
men  who  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  country. 

A  day  or  two  later  Sally  received  a  note  in  Tom's 
flourishing  hand,  containing  the  ticket : 

"  DEAR  SALLY  :  The  pater  familias  of  this  house- 
hold thinks  I  had  better  take  in  the  business  school 
twice  a  week.  Think  of  it !  I  shall  need  you  to 
brace  me  up.  May  I  have  the  pleasure,  etc.  ? 

"  Your  most  humble  servant  and  friend, 

"  WlLKINS    MlCA\VBEB." 

"  What  nonsense ! "  she  muttered,  tearing  the  busi- 
ness sheet  in  strips,  and  feeling  an  inclination  to  do 
the  same  with  the  ticket ;  but  she  didn't,  O  no ;  she 
answered  it  characteristically  : 

"  Yes,  sir. 

"  Yours,  SALLY." 

But  if  the  Round  Tablers  believed  that  Sally 
thought  all  these  things  just  conveniently  came  about 
of  themselves  they  were  much  mistaken.  She  was  not 
all  the  blind  victim  they  imagined. 

At  their  next  meeting  she  responded  to  her  name 
with  " '  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were  much  per- 
plexed thereabout,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in 
shining  garments.'  O  girls ! "  she  began,  staring 


A  NIGHT  WITH  BIBLE   CHARACTERS.         113 

around  distractedly,  and  then  choked  up  and  could 
say  no  more.  They  didn't  try  to  follow  out  their 
programme  that  night,  but  just  had  a  beautiful  little 
confidential  visit,  comforting  and  being  comforted, 
breaking  up  with  Burns's  song,  "  Come  under  my 
plaidie." 

It  was  about  these  days  that  Prue  began  to  grow 
anxious  over  Betty. 

''  I  can't  see  but  that  she  looks  as  well  as  ever.  She 
was  never  very  robust,  you  know,"  said  Sally,  when 
they  were  talking  about  it,  coming  home  from  school. 

"O  Sally,  she  doesn't,"  answered  Prue,  quite  dis- 
tressed. "  Her  eyes  have  grown  so  large,  and  she 
doesn't  complain  any  more,  and  is  too  weak  to  crochet, 
and  just  lies  there  and  looks  at  your  picture  hour  after 
hour." 

"Hermann  said  she  clapped  her  hands  when  he 
sang  to  her,"  said  Addie.  '"The  trouble's  with  you, 
Prue.  You  fret  about  the  poor  child  until  you'll  get 
sick  yourself." 

"'  Any  how,"  persisted  Prue,  "  I  can't  feel  easy 
until  I  ask  mother  if  our  doctor  can  go  up  to  see  her ; 
and,  Margaret,  1  wish  you  would  ask  your  father  to 
run  up  some  morning  soon,"  accenting  the  "soon" 
in  a  way  that  told  her  fears. 

I  doubt  if  any  of  them  knew  how  that  little  lame 
girl  was  bringing  them  into  unconscious  fellowship. 
Almost  daily  something  was  laid  aside  for  Betty,  and 
the  boys,  too,  .were  enlisted. 


114:  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

That  very  night,  which  happened  to  be  persistently 
stormy,  Prue  stood  looking  out  wistfully  and  tapping 
her  finger  against  the  glass  by  way  of  protest. 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  asked  Harry,  glancing  up 
from  his  "Iliad." 

"  1  promised  to  make  Betty  a  beef-tea  to-night. 
She  couldn't  eat  a  single  thing  to-day,  and  mother 
says  I  mus'n't  go  out  in  this  gale." 

"  Is  that  all  ?     Bring  it  out." 

"  But — I  thought  you  were  cramming  for  examina- 
tion and  didn't  have  a  moment  to  spare." 

"  I  haven't,  for  any  body  but  Betty.  Put  the  cover 
on  tight  or  I  wont  stand  for  the  consequences.  Sec- 
ond door  on  the  right,  isn't  it  ?  Tom  persists  in 
announcing  himself  to  thtt  cross  dress-maker,  and  is 
it  '  to  be  well-shaken  before  being  taken '  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not.  Just  set  to  simmer  on  the  stove. 
What  a  dear  you  are  !  I'll  have  your  slippers  nice 
and  warm  for  yon,  I  will,"  trotting  away  for  those 
articles  of  comfort,  which  she  warmed  at  each  end, 
inside  and  out,  giving  them  approving  pats  between 
times,  and  drawing  the  best  chair  invitingly  near. 

O  D    «/ 

Thoughtless  Fred  brought  out  his  shovel  and  helped 
sailor  Jake  with  the  snow-banks,  so  that  he  could  go 
home  earlier,  while  Tom  called  himself  the  Mercury 
of  the  group,  though  it  must  be  owned  he  was  often 
somewhere  else  when  wanted. 

But  before  the  busy  doctor  could  get  time  to  climb 
up  to  the  third  story,  one  morning  sailor  Jake 


A  XIGHT  WITH  BIBLE  CHARACTERS.         115 

appeared  at  the  Stevens  home  in  mute  despair.  His 
weather-beaten  face  was  wet  with  tears,  and  he  stood 
twisting  his  ragged  cap,  unable  to  answer  Prue's 
question  at  first,  as  she  asked  after  Betty. 

"  Anchored,  ma'am,"  lie  faltered,  "  an'  she  left  her 
love  for  you  all,  an'  the  lads ;  an'  how  her  poor  old 
daddy's  to  weather  the  storm  he  can't  reckon." 

Then  every  thing  was  laid  aside  to  comfort  him 
and  provide  a  Christian  service  for  their  Betty,  "  as 
nice  as  any  body  had,"  Delia  declared. 

Six  srirls  worked  on  the  simple   white  dress  and 

C  •*• 

brought  their  gifts  of  flowers.  Not  a  strange  min- 
ister, but  the  one  from  their  parsonage  home,  came 
to  tell  them  of  that  "  better  country  "  where  "  the 
inhabitant  shall  never  say,  I  am  sick,"  and  conducted 
the  services,  for  which  six  girls  sang  the  sweet  songs 
Betty  had  loved  best.  The  four  boys  (for  Hermann 
was  one  of  them  now)  carried  the  small  burden 
tenderly  down  the  steep  stairs,  where  the  carriages, 
which  Delia's  father  had  asked  the  privilege  of  pro- 
viding, were  waiting.  There  was  nothing  bare  or 
desolate  about  it,  for  warm  hearts  and  loving  sympa- 
thies have  the  power  to  lighten  earth's  shadows  just 
as  a  kindly  Providence  designed  they  should.  And 
thus  the  bond  that  united  these  young  people  was 
wonderfully  strengthened,  while  they  were  learning 
how  blessed  it  is  to  sorrow  with  those  that  sorrow. 


116  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HELPING. 

« "ITfE  are  really  getting  demoralized,"  said  Amelia, 
V  V  briskly.  "  Now  let  us  settle  down  to  work ; 
and  what  shall  we  take  up  next  ? " 

"  We  have  more  time  now,"  mused  Prue,  sadly, 
for  she  sorely  missed  her  one  patient,  whom  she  had 
come  to  love  very  tenderly. 

"  Isn't  it  time  we  read  a  little  Shakespeare  ?"  asked 
Margaret. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  echoed  Delia.  "We  shall  be  ut- 
terly unworthy  of  the  name  literary  -without,  at 
least,  one  play." 

"  The  story-part  of  it  comes  down  to  my  capacity, 
but  the  rest  of  it — "  ending  in  a  long-drawn  whistle 
from  Sally. 

"  The  very  mention  of  it  makes  me  tired,"  said 
Addie,  with  a  feeble  attempt  at  a  sigh. 

"  Last  winter,"  said  Prue,  as  they  waited  for  her 
verdict,  "  I  resolved  to  begin  at  the  beginning  and 
go  through,  as  I  knew  I  ought ;  but  the  firsf  one  was 
'  The  Tempest,'  and,  I  know  it's  dreadful  to  own  it — 
but  it  was  harder  than  any  Latin  verb  I  ever  had.  I 
read  to  the  third  act  and  gave  it  up." 

"  How  comforting  to  us  poor  mortals,  that  Prue 


HELPING.  117 

had  to  sit  down  beaten,"  said  Sally,  gleefully,  as  they 
all  laughed  at  her  dismay. 

"  How  comforting"  added  Amelia,  "  that  what 
one  girl  cannot  do  alone  six  girls  can  do  together. 
Shall  we  not  join  hands  and  give  a  pull  all  together?  " 

"  I  second  that,"  said  Prue.  decidedly,  who  certainly 
did  have,  what  Sally  called,  "  a  real  wicked  pride" 
about  not  giving  up  defeated. 

"  O,  yes,"  declared  Sally,  "  you  talk  as  prompt 
now  as  you'll  be  prescribing  bitters  for  us  by  and  by. 
As  for  me — small  doses,  ma'am,  whether  it's  quinine 
or  Shakespeare." 

"  I  don't  aspire  but  to  one  play,"  said  Delia,  half- 
regretting  that  she  had  favored  Shakespeare. 

"  And,  for  sweet  Portia's  sake,  let  that  one  be  '  The 
Merchant  of  Venice,'  "  proposed  Margaret. 

This  was  properly  carried  and  recorded,  and  Sally 
was  appointed  to  write  out  the  story  "in  plain  Eng- 
lish "  as  a  prelude  to  the  reading.  Then  the  charac- 
ters of  the  first  two  acts  were  distributed  among  them, 
all  being  forewarned  that  they  must  expect  to  be  un- 
mercifully questioned  on  any  passage  not  understood. 
They  decided,  also,  to  take  their  quotations  from  the 
play,  for,  as  Sally  said  ; 

"  One  of  the  best  things  about  Mr.  Shakespeare  is, 
that  every  page  or  turo  you  strike  something  just  as 
familiar  as  A,  B,  C.  You  feel  as  if  you  had  dreamed 
it,  or  known  it  in  some  previous  state  of  existence." 

They  began  the  week  by  investing  in  little  paper 


118  AXXALS    OF   THE    ROUND    TABLE. 

editions  of  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice,"  which  could 
be  tucked  into  a  dinner-basket,  folded  into  a  school- 
book,  or  carried  in  one's  apron-pocket,  to  be  brought 
out  at  all  sorts  of  odd  times;  which  could  be  marked 
and  noted,  underlined  and  interlined ;  in  short,  hav- 
ing the  air  of  an  every-day  familiar  friend,  instead  of 
the  dignity  of  a  gilt  edition,  set  up  properly  on  the 
marble  table,  which  is  so  apt  to  inspire  beginners  with 
that  "don't-handle-me"  feeling.  It  sent  them  to 
classical  dictionaries  in  search  of  "  two-headed  Janus  " 
and  "  Jason's  golden  fleece,"  while  Sally  danced  off 
her  rubbers  to  the  tune  of  "  I  am  Sir  Oracle." 

They  met  with  Delia  that  night  in  her  brightly 
lighted,  softly  carpeted  parlor,  and  settled  luxuriously 
into  the  easy-chairs  to  listen  to  Sally's  story.  She 
took  an  ottoman  in  the  center  of  the  group  under  the 
chandelier,  and,  with  collar  askew  and  hair  unusually 
rampant,  began  her  manuscript. 

" '  Many  years  ago  there  lived  a  merchant  of  Venice 
whose  name  was  Antonio.  A  grave,  solemn  business 
man  was  Antonio,  with  many  friends,  chief  among 
whom  was  Bassanio.  This  Bassanio,  the  real  hero  of 
the  story,  comes  to  Antonio  to  tell  him  of  his  love  for 
a  lady  in  Belrnont.  "  Her  name  is  Portia,"  "  and  her 
sunny  locks  hang  on  her  temples  like  a  golden  fleece." 
so  he  says.  We  have  to  take  his  word  for  it,  which, 
I  am  moved  to  think,  was  slightly  overdrawn.  The 
conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is,  that  Bassanio  wants 
some  money,  that  he  may  hold  a  rival  place  with  the 


HELPING.  119 

other  suitors,  for,  like  the  traditional  lover,  he  is 
"  poor  but  proud."  Antonio  tells  him  that  his  fort- 
unes are  all  at  sea,  but  he  may  try  what  his  credit  can 
do  in  Venice.  Although  an  old  bachelor  himself,  he 
seems  to  appreciate  Bassanio's  situation.  The  next 
scene  is  in  Portia's  room,  and,  while  her  maid  combs 
out  her  tresses,  they  discuss  the  suitors  in  a  most 
modern  and  familiar  fashion.  Portia's  tongue  proves 
to  be  a  sharp  one,  and,  as  Xerissa  names  them  over, 
her  remarks  are  almost  perfectly  biting.  Here's  a 
sample,  "'  God  made  him,  and  therefore  let  him  pass 
for  a  man."  When  Bassanio  is  mentioned,  she  gra- 
ciously says,  '•'  I  remember  him  worthy  of  my  praise." 
The  next  scene  introduces  us  to  Shylock,  the  Jew,  of 
whom  Bassanio  has  just  borrowed  three  thousand 
ducats.  After  some  parleying  on  the  part  of  Shylock, 
in  which  he  reminds  Antonio  how  he  has  despised  the 
Jewish  race,  he  declares  that  it  must  be  nominated  in 
the  bond  that  if  Antonio  fails  to  pay  the  debt  in  three 
months  he,  the  Jew,  shall  be  allowed  to  cut  off  a  pound 
of  flesh  from  any  part  of  Antonio's  body  that  it  pleas- 
eth  him.  Bassanio,  for  whose  sake  the  bond  was 
made,  objects,  but  Antonio  agrees,  reminding  Bassanio 
that  a  month  before  it  expires  he  expects  a  return  of 
three  times  the  amount.  Then  Launcelot  Gobbo,  the 
clown,  and  his  father,  old  Gobbo.  come  prancing  into 
the  story.  He  is  a  servant  of  Shylock,  but  leaves 
him  to  serve  Bassanio.  When  Launcelot  parts  with 
Jessica,  Shylock's  beautiful  daughter,  she  weeps,  but 


120  AXXALS    OF    THE    RoUND    TABLE. 

recovers  sufficiently  to  send  a  note  to  Lorenzo,  his 
new  master's  servant,  who  is  in  love  with  her.  "  Do 
it  secretly.  And  so,  farewell,"  she  says.  To  which  he 
touchingly  responds,  uMost  beautiful  pagan.  Most 
sweet  Jew ! "  It  appears  that  this  note  for  Lorenzo 
told  how  she  had  gold  and  jewels  and  a  page's  suit, 
and  was  ready  to  elope  that  night  while  her  father 
was  off,  partaking  of  Bassanio's  banquet.  Shylock 
goes  unwillingly,  fearing  something  wrong  because 
lie  dreamed  of  money-bags,  and  when  he  gives  Jessica 
the  keys,  he  tells  her,  when  the  torch-light  masquer- 
ade procession  goes  by,  not  to  clamber  up  to  the 
casement,  or  thrust  her  head  into  the  public  street, 
but  to  pull  down  the  curtains  and  retire  behind  them. 
As  Jessica  had  arranged  to  put  on  the  page's  suit  and 
carry  a  torch,  she  must  have  had  some  twinges  of  con- 
science. Meanwhile  the  day  has  come  when  Portia's 
suitors  are  to  choose  for  her  hand  according  to  a  brill- 
iant scheme  which  her  father  had  planned.  Three 
caskets,  one  each  of  gold,  silver,  and  lead,  are  placed 
before  them,  and  the  one  who  chooses  the  casket  con- 
taining her  picture  she  must  accept.  First  comes  the 
Prince  of  Morocco,  and  upon  reading  this  inscription 
on  the  gold  casket,  "  Who  chooseth  me  shall  gain  what 
many  men  desire,"  he  seizes  it,  and  calls  for  the  key. 
Alack !  within  is  that  verse,  "  All  that  glitters  is  not 
gold,"  and  he  has  to  turn  away.  Xext  comes  the 
Prince  of  Arragon,  who  chooses  the  silver  casket,  be- 
cause he  thinks  the  inscription  refers  to  him,  u  Who 


HELPING.  121 

cliooseth  me  shall  get  as  much  as  he  deserves,"  He 
deserved  to  be  turned  away,  as  lie  was,  by  finding  a 
picture  of  a  fool's  head  inside.  When  Bassanio  comes, 
Gratiano  begs  to  accompany  him,  and  promises  to  be 
very  good.  While  Bassanio  is  courting  Portia  he 
fills  in  by  making  love  to  Nerissa.  Portia  is  so  afraid 
lie  will  choose  wrong,  that  she  is  tempted  to  tell  him. 
Now  comes  a  page  of  philosophy  and  suspense,  but  I 
wont  keep  you  waiting.  Bassanio  chose  the  lead 
casket,  which  said,  "  Who  cliooseth  me  must  give  and 
hazard  all  he  hath,"  and  opening  it,  found  fair  Portia's 
picture.  Then  come  the  rhapsodies,  to  which  I'm  not 
equal.  No  sooner  are  they  married  than  news  comes 
that  all  of  Antonio's  ventures  have  failed,  the  time  is 
up,  and  he  must  pay  the  forfeit.  Antonio's  message 
to  Bassanio  in  this  crisis  is  brave  and  splendid.  Read 
it.  When  Portia  hears  the  situation,  she  gives  Bas- 
sanio six  thousand  ducats,  and  bids  him  hasten  to  res- 
cue his  friend,  which  he  does,  taking  Gratiano  with 
him.  I  must  not  forget  to  say  that  Jessica  escaped 
that  night,  as  planned,  to  her  Lorenzo,  taking  jewels 
and  two  bags  of  ducats,  which  sent  Shylock  to  the 
street,  moaning,  "  O  my  ducats !  O  my  daughter ! " 
Ducats  first,  yon  notice.  Next,  we  find  ourselves  in 
a  court  of  justice,  where  Antonio  stands  ready  to  have 
the  forfeit  executed.  The  duke  tries  to  soften  the 
Jew,  but  fails.  It  appears  that  they  were  expecting 
a  learned  doctor  to  be  present,  but  he  sends  in  his 
place  a  young  lawyer,  who  is  none  other  than  Portia, 


ANNALS    OF   THE   ROUND    TABLE. 

disguised  in  men's  clothes.  The  case  opens,  and  this 
young  doctor  of  law  seems  to  favor  the  Jew,  who  calls 
her  "  a  second  Daniel."  She  quotes  to  him  those  words, 
"  The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained,"  and  the  rest 
that  we  like,  but  'tis  "  sweetness  wasted."  He  stands 
there  impatiently  holding  his  scales.  Bassanio  offers 
to  pay  the  bond  ten  times  over,  but  Shylock  grimly 
says,  "  No."  He  prefers  the  pound  of  flesh.  Portia 
tells  Shylock  that  uthe  law  doth  give  it"  him,  and  An- 
tonio bids  his  friend  good-bye.  Just  as  Shylock  pre- 
pares to  cut,  Portia  rises  magnificently  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  reminds  him  that  the  bond  says  not  a  word 
about  shedding  blood.  She  bids  him  take  his  bond, 
but  if  he  sheds  a  drop  of  Christian  blood  his  goods 
are  confiscate  to  the  State.  Shylock  finally  recovers 
enough  to  say  he  will  be  satisfied  with  three  times 
the  amount,  but  Portia  interferes,  saying  that,  as  he 
has  threatened  the  life  of  a  citizen,  one  half  of  his 
property  goes  to  Antonio  and  the  other  half  to  the 
State,  and  he  must  even  beg  for  his  life.  Here, 
Antonio  remembers  about  "tin  quality  of  mercy,"  and 
asks  that  Shylock  be  spared,  and  receive  back  half  of 
his  property  on  condition  that  he  will  give  it  to  the 
gentleman  who  stole  his  daughter,  and  himself  turn 
Christian.  Shylock  seals  such  a  contract.  Xow,  An- 
tonio and  Bassanio  turn  to  this  young  judge,  to  whom 
they  are  so  indebted,  and  urge  her  to  take  the  three 
thousand  ducats.  She  refuses,  but  finally  says  to  Bas- 
sanio that,  as  he  presses  her  so,  she  will  take  the  ring 


HELPING.  123 

he  wears  for  lier  services.  Now  comes  the  struggle, 
as  Bassanio  had  received  the  ring  from  Portia  on  open- 
ing the  casket,  and  had  vowed  never  to  part  with  it. 
He  tells  her  it  is  "such  a  trifle,"  and  he  will  buy  her 
the  dearest  ring  in  Venice.  But  she  obstinately  pre- 
fers his,  and  then  he  has  to  tell  her  of  his  promise. 
To  which  she  replies,  that  if  his  wife  knew  all  she 
would  forgive  him,  and  leaves  without  the  ring. 
Then  Antonio  urges  Bassanio  to  send  the  ring  to 
her,  which  he  unwillingly  does.  Then  Portia  goes 
home,  Bassanio  and  Antonio  arriving  soon  after. 
Quite  a  scene  it  is  when  she  notices  that  the  ring  is 
gone.  Imagine  how  she  laughs  within  when  she 
accuses  him  of  giving  it  to  a  woman,  and  he  indig- 
nantly denies  it.  There  might  have  been  quite  an  un- 
pleasantness, but  Antonio  interferes,  and  Portia  final- 
ly gives  Bassanio  another  ring,  which  he  recognizes 
as  his  own,  and  then  the  whole  story  comes  out.  Bas- 
sanio is  much  surprised  and  pleased,  and  never  once 
reminds  Portia  that  home  is  her  sphere,  model  hus- 
band that  he  is.  And  very  likely  in  future  life  Portia 
herself  often  referred  to  "  that  day  when  I  was  judge 
in  Venice."  '  [Applause.  Curtain  falls.]  " 

The  little  suggestion,  so  gravely  given  by  Sally,  was 
loudly  acted  upon,  while  they  declared  it  "  splendid," 
and  "  even  thrilling."  Their  study  of  the  subject  had 
made  it  easy,  and  they  really  had  one  of  their  best 
meetings  over  Shakespeare. 

"  Father  says,"  remarked  Amelia,  as  they  closed 


124  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

their  books,  "  that  the  fact  that  Shakespeare  utters  so 
much  truth  proves  that  he  studied  the  Bible." 

"  Then,"  said  Addie,  suddenly,  :'  the  verses  on 
mercy  must  be  from  that  beatitude,  '  Blessed  are  the 
merciful.' " 

"  Exactly,"  added  Delia,  making  a  note  on  it. 

"  And  doesn't  the  whole  story,"  mused  Margaret, 
dropping  her  head  into  her  hand  for  a  meditation, 
"prove  true  what  Proverbs  says  of  the  virtuous 
woman,  'She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom,  and 
in  her  tongue  is  the  law  of  kindness?" 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  answered  Sally,  resignedly. 
"  Prove  any  thing,  and  every  thing,  even  to  Shy  lock's 
being  a  lineal  descendant  of  Judas.  You  know  we 
would  not  dare  disagree  with  you  or  Prue  on  the 
Bible,  and  you  seize  the  situation." 

And  so  it  was  one  of  the  lessons  learned  that  night, 
that  uttering  the  truth,  as  well  as  dying  in  defense 
of  the  truth,  makes  men  great. 

Since  they  had  learned  the  blessedness  of  helping, 
they  found  so  many  ways  of  putting  it  in  practice, 
not  only  among  themselves,  but  in  considering  the 
one  in  need  a  neighbor,  according  to  their  Master's 
own  rule. 

One  day  Mr.  Nichols  stopped  long  enough  from 
his  business  to  discover  that  his  Delia  was  very  sick. 
He  dispatched  wildly  for  their  physician  and  nurse, 
but,  as  usual,  nurses  were  not  available.  Quickly  the 
news  spread  among  the  anxious  members  of  "  The 


HELPING.  125 

Round  Table,"  and  eo  it  happened  that  the  first  day, 
when  the  doctor  was  just  trying  to  give  his  orders  to 
the  nervous  old  housekeeper,  Prue  tapped  lightly  at 
the  door  of  the  sick-room. 

"  Please,  sir,"  she  said,  softly,  presenting  herself 
before  them,  "are  you  willing  I  should  care  for  Delia 
until  you  can  get  a  nurse  ?  I  want  to,  so  much." 

"  What  does  a  school-girl  know  about  nursing  ? " 
Mr.  Nichols  began  to  say,  rather  gruffly,  but  changed 
it  into,  "  What  can  you  do  for  her  \ " 

"  Not  much,  but  my  best,  sir." 

"I'll  try  you,"  said  the  doctor,  briefly,  turning 
from  the  housekeeper,  who  persisted  in  giving  the 
four-hour  medicine  every  ten  minutes,  and  mce  versa. 
Prue  listened  intently  to  his  directions,  nodded  un- 
derstand ingly,  and  made  a  little  note  on  it.  Then 
she  quietly  closed  the  Venetian  shutter  nearest  the 
bed,  arranged  the  bottles,  and  smoothed  the  clothes. 
At  this,  Delia  aroused  from  her  fever  to  say,  in  a 
weak  voice, 

"  O  Prue,  I'm  so  glad  !  Don't  leave  me,  will  you  ? " 

"Xot  a  minute,  deary!"  saying  it  cheerily,  and 
smoothing  back  the  hair  from  the  throbbing  temple 
with  a  soothing  touch.  "  Now  it's  time  to  go 
asleep." 

Yery  soon  she  was  in  a  quiet  slumber,  and  the 
doctor,  with  a  satisfied  look  at  Mr.  Nichols,  left  her 
installed  as  nurse.  Fortunately,  the  fever  was 
broken,  and  it  was  a  brief  sickness,  "owing  to  so 


126  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

much  professional  care,"  Delia  declared  and  in  a  few 
days  she  began  to  be  convalescent.  Be  assured  they 
were  anxious  days  to  Prue,  especially  the  day  when 
Delia  was  delirious,  when  she  would  have  given  up 
her  place  to  her  mother,  but  Delia  would  not  allow 
her  out  of  sight.  Then  the  girls  received  this  dis- 
tracted little  note,  written  on  a  newspaper  margin  : 

"  O  girls,  do  pray  in  earnest.  PRUE." 

Mr.  Nichols  was  harder  to  manage  than  the  patient, 
suggesting  that  Delia  be  aroused  if  she  was  sleeping, 
or  put  to  sleep  on  opium  if  she  was  awake.  And 
then  the  housekeeper  would  wear  squeaky  shoes, 
slam  the  doors,  and  converse  in  a  sepulchral  whisper. 
But  through  it  all  Prue  was  calm  and  decided,  doing 
her  duty  with  conscientious  faithfulness.  When  the 
stage  of  convalescence  came,  the  girls  could  relieve 
her,  which  they  with  one  accord  hastened  to  do.  It 
was  so  pleasant  to  find  they  could  repay  Delia's  gen- 
erosity with  the  loving  care  that  money  cannot  buy. 
Books  and  jellies,  flowers  and  broths,  and  rapturous 
notes  came  seeking  admittance  to  the  sick-room,  until 
Delia  declared  she  '*  never  enjoyed  any  thing  so  much  " 
in  her  life  "  as  getting  well."  Sally  came  prancing  in 
when  it  was  deemed  best  to  admit  her,  well-nigh  up- 
set the  medicine-table  in  her  flight  to  the  bed,  and 
commanded  Delia  and  Prue  not  to  think  of  geom- 
etry. She  could  show  them  the  demonstrations  in  an 
hour  when  they  were  able  to  bear  her  clatter.  And 


HELPING.  127 

she  did  want  to  know  just  the  day  they  would  both 
l>e  back  on  their  native  heath,  so  that,  being  fore- 
warned, she  could  be  forearmed  with  her  biggest  bow 
in  honor  of  the  event. 

"  You  were  right  about  Prne,"  whispered  Delia  to 
Sally,  casting  such  grateful  glances  on  the  girl  who 
was  that  minute  serenely  shaking  up  the  cushions  of 
the  invalid's  chair. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  she  was  a  full-fledged  angel  ? " 
demanded  Sally,  severely.  "  All  honor  to  St.  Night- 
ingale," stopping  to  pat  her  shoulder,  protectingly. 
"  Do  hurry  back  to  school,  Prudy,  or  I  shall  get  des- 
perately wicked." 

And  then,  when  the  girls  did  come  back,  how  easy 
it  was  made  for  them,  and  how  they  were  welcomed, 
and  how  marked  from  that  time  on  was  Delia's  at- 
tachment for  Prue. 

Some  weeks  later  Addie  hailed  Sally  with,  "I've 
got  something  to  tell  you,"  as  they  met  at  the  wide 
gate-way  turning  into  the  academy  grounds. 

"  Well ! "  answered  Sally,  briefly,  drawing  her  book- 
strap  a  notch  tighter. 

"  You  see,  it's  this  way,"  began  Addie,  dropping 
her  voice.  "  Prue  has  consented  to  sing  at  a  little 
entertainment  at  the  mission  school  to-night." 

"No!"  exclaimed  Sally,  incredulously. 

"  Yes  she  has,"  stopping  to  chuckle.  "  She  didn't 
want  to  a  bit.  She's  so  timid,  you  know.  But  for 
that  very  reason  I  suppose  she  thought  she  ought  to 


128  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

take  up  her  cross.  She's  been  so  much  that  way 
since  New  Year's." 

"  Tom  said,"  put  in  Sally,  "  that  she  fairly  hunts 
around  for  hard  things,  but  I  must  say  this  is  a 
shock.  Glad  of  it!  She's  always  been  hiding  her 
light  under  a  bushel." 

"  Well,  what  I  wanted,"  continued  Addie,  "  was 
your  company  down  there  to-night.  It  would  please 
her  to  have  you  care  for  it,  you  know,  though  she 
wouldn't  have  me  say  a  word  for  the  world,  and  it's 
nothing  but  Mother  Goose  songs." 

"Go!  I  guess  I  will  go.  Trust  me  for  that," 
twinkling  both  eyes  at  the  thought  of  how  she  would 
help  swell  the  audience  down  at  Pine  Alley  that 
night.  "  Do  you  suppose  that  one  of  the  members 
can  be  honored  by  calls  from  the  public,  and  the  rest 
not  be  there  ?  JSTo,  ma'am  !  " 

And  so  you  may  imagine  Prue's  surprise  when  the 
live  girls  and  four  boys  filed  gravely  into  the  seats 
just  back  of  the  children,  and  joined  strongly  in  the 
opening  hymn.  Prue  was  so  frightened  she  would 
surely  have  grown  tremulous  and  failed,  only  that 
she  looked  straight  down  into  the  children's  faces 
and  sang  to  them. 

They  had  never  heard  the  wheezy  old  organ-keys 
touched  so  softly  and  musically  before,  nor  dreamed 
that  Little  Bo-Peep  and  Miss  Muffett  could  be  put 
into  music  and  trilled  so  sweetly.  The  encore  was 
very  loud,  and  noticeably  from  the  company  seats.  Of 


HELPING.  129 

course,  she  closed  with  a  hymn,,  and  just  here  it  was 
that  Hermann,  balancing  a  box  of  flowers  in  each 
hand,  advanced  to  the  platform,  and  handed  them  up. 
When  Prue's  eye  caught  the  dangling  cards  addressed 
to  "  Madam  Patti "  and  "  The  Prima  Donna,"  with 
postscripts  of  nonsense,  she  just  took  revenge  by 
dividing  the  fragrant  bunches  into  little  nosegays 
for  the  children,  and  when  she  joined  "  The  Round 
Table"  in  the  hall,  all  the  trophy  she  carried  was 
one  little  wilted  geranium-leaf.  This  Hermann  im- 
mediately begged  and  gallantly  wore  it  in  his  button- 
hole. 

"Shall  I  tell  yoa  what  we  girls  have  been  talking 
about  lately  ? "  asked  Margaret  of  Harry,  as  they 
ambled  toward  the  parsonage  that  night. 

"  Yes,  do.     I'm  not  a  Yankee  guesser  like  Tom." 

"Well,  we've  been  wishing  so  much  that  Hermann 
could  be  asked  to  give  us  a  violin  solo  at  the  academy 
commencement.  He  surely  plays  beautifully,  but  his 
people  are  so  poor,  and  he,  as  a  foreigner,  is  so  little 
known,  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  of  use  to  him  as  it 
ought.  Sally  is  particularly  anxious  about  him." 

"  How  can  you  say  he  is  little  known,  when  '  The 
Round  Table  '  have  taken  him  up  ? "  answered  Harry, 
gallantly. 

"Unfortunately,  '  The  Round  Table  '  are  only  help- 
less girls,"  said  Margaret,  making  what  she  thought 
would  be  a  good  stroke.  "  AVhen  the  honorarv  mem- 

O  •/ 

bers  take  him  up,  there'll  be  no  question  about  it." 
9 


130  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

It  was  a  good  stroke,  for  who  ever  appealed  to  a 
boy's  chivalry  in  vain  ?  But  he  answered : 

"  Am  not  so  sure  about  it.  There  would  be  some 
objection.  You  see,  it's  purely  a  Senior-class  affair. 
The  boys  wouldn't  care  to  have  a  broken-tongued 
Dutchman  eclipse  them." 

"  I  know,  and  because  it's  going  to  be  so  nice,  we 
want  him  to  play.  Sally  says  it's  as  good  an  intro- 
duction as  she  could  ask.  We  just  know  you  can 
manage  the  boys.  The  minute  we  heard  you  were 
chairman  of  the  music  committee  we  rejoiced." 

She  might  have  added  that  they  quaked  a  little, 
too.  The  fact  was,  Harry  took  strangers  into  his 
heart  very  slowly.  He  had,  too,  a  great  deal  of 
pride  about  carrying  out  quite  elegantly  any  work 
assigned  him.  Now  he  thought  of  the  threadbare 
clothes  and  fur-top  gloves. 

"His  voice  is  very  good,  and  he  seems  to  under- 
stand the  fiddle,  but  his  debut  ought  not  to  depend 
on  me." 

"  We  girls  somehow  feel  that  it  does,"  she  an- 
swered, quickly.  "  We  have  faith  in  his  future. 
Sally  has  made  us  believe  that  it's  one  of  our  oppor- 
tunities to  help.  He's  such  a  kind,  good  spirit  at 
home,  she  says,  and  does  any  kind  of  hard  work,  and 
studies  between  times,  and  so  much  wants  to  teach 
on  his  beloved  violin  ;  and  you  know  he  refused  to 
play  in  a  saloon  where  the  pay  was  splendid,  and  he 
needed  it  so  much." 


HELPING.  131 

To  this  Harry  made  no  reply.  They  knew  him  as 
a  boy  of  few  words,  seldom  pledging  himself  to  any 
cause,  but  doing  wrhat  he  believed  to  be  right  with  a 
fidelity  exceeding  them  all.  She  was,  therefore,  wise 
enough  to  leave  the  case  right  here. 

"It's  decided,  then,  that  you  will  go  to  college?" 
she  began,  breaking  the  pause. 

"  Yes,  Tom's  all  business,  and  as  soon  as  he's 
through  here  will  go  into  father's  office.  He  didn't 
care  for  it  and  I  did,  so  the  family  council  said 
'  Go.' " 

"  The  Round  Tablers  were  so  glad.  We  sang  the 
'jubilate'  over  it." 

"  Did  you  ? "  in  surprise.  "  That's  kind  of  you, 
I'm  sure.  It's  pleasant  to  have  interested  spectators 
if  one  wins." 

"  As  if  there  could  be  any  question  about  it !  You 
are  recorded  as  our  first  valedictorian,  you  know,  and 
the  honor  has  so  overshadowed  us,  we  are  quite  '  set 
up,'  as  Sally  calls  it." 

It  would  have  been  like  Tom  and  Fred  to  offer  to 
fulfill  the  expectation  of  such  a  society,  but  Harry 
gave  no  expression  to  his  glow  of  pleasure,  answer- 
ing coolly, 

"  Your  rejoicing  at  my  going  gives  me  food  for 
meditation.  But  I  don't  mind.  Expect  to  have  a 
chance  to  return  it  all  when  your  class  comes  on.  If 
I  may — where  is  your  future  ?  Are  you  all  aspiring, 
likePrue?" 


132  ANNALS  OF  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 

"I  hope  so,"  with  approving  emphasis,  "but  it 
wont  be  college  with  me,"  beginning  to  sigh,  and 
then  trying  to  take  it  back.  "  Sister  wants  to  teach, 
and  mother  is  so  feeble,  I  can't  leave  her.  I  haven't 
mentioned  it  even  to  '  The  Table,'  but  I  mean  to 
keep  up  some  studies,  and  show  that  housekeeping 
and  education  can  be  happily  wedded." 

"  Noble  resolve,"  said  Harry,  warmly  ;  and  then, 
after  a  thoughtful  pause,  "  why  couldn't  you  read 
college  Latin  with  me  ?  I  could  keep  you  informed 
where  we  are,  and  we  could  exchange  written  trans- 
lations with  the  class  for  authority— that  is,  if  it 
would  be  agreeable  ? " 

"  How  splendid  !  O,  I  knew  some  way  would 
open  to  show  that  all  things  had  worked  together  for 
good.  I'll  never  doubt  it  again." 

"  Why  don't  you  have  it  for  an  article  of  faith  in 
your  famous  constitution  ? "  laughing  a  little,  as  boys 
always  will  laugh  over  girls'  attempts  at  constitutions. 

"  It  is,  and  not  any  less  believed  because  it  isn't  writ- 
ten," she  answered,  earnestly,  turning  for  a  "  good- 
night "  as  he  left  her  at  the  parsonage  door. 

I  must  not  forget  to  tell  about  Prue's  fee.  She 
ran  in  for  Delia's  company  to  school  one  morning, 
and  found  Mr.  Nichols  in  the  library  opening  his 
mail. 

"By  the  way,"  he  began,  running  his  eye  over  a 
formidable  legal-cap,  "  you  have  never  presented  your 
bill,  Miss  Prue.  What  is  it?" 


HELPING.  133 

"  O,  sir ! "  staring  a  moment  in  bewilderment, 
"please  don't  speak  of  it.  We  have  been  so  in- 
debted to  Delia  over  and  over.  To  see  her,  well,  is 
pay  enough,"  glancing  up  brightly  at  Delia. 

"  Humph  ! "  while  the  rattling  of  paper  continued. 
"  To  see  people  well  wont  pay  your  office-rent,  and 
if  you  succeed  you  mustn't  begin  so.  We'll  see 
about  this." 

The  very  next  day  an  envelope  with  Mr.  Nichols's 
business-card  in  the  corner  was  handed  in  for  Prue, 
and  she  opened  it,  while  Addie  and  Tom  and  Harry 
stood  around  in  an  excited  half-circle.  It  contained 
a  bill. 

"  To  services  for  Delia  Nichols,  $50."  Within  was 
the  check  for  $50,  and  at  the  close  of  the  note  was 
written,  in  Delia's  hand  :  "  The  beginning  of  the 
Medical  Education  Fund." 

O,  what  demonstrations  were  there,  and  what  joy 
and  rejoicing !  Prue  took  it  soberly,  as  always,  and 
finally  remarked : 

"  If  it  were  not  for  that  last  sentence,  and  if  she 
did  not  know,  I  would  do  the  same  were  she  in 
Betty's  garret,  I  couldn't  keep  it.  What  shall  I  do, 
Harry  ? " 

"  Take  it,  of  course.  You've  earned  it,"  he  an- 
swered, heartily. 


134  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THEIR      HISTORY-BAG. 

"T  SAW  the  nicest  thing  this  afternoon,"  began 

_L  Sally,  meditatively,  as  at  the  close  of  their 
next  meeting  the  chat  began  briskly.  "  Guess  what 
it  was." 

"  I'll  warrant  it  was  Mrs.  Pullman's  new  velvet 
suit,"  answered  Delia,  quickly.  "  They  say  it's  just 
from — " 

"  The  North  Pole,  for  all  I  care.  Guess  again," 
said  Sally,  with  unfeigned  contempt. 

"  Fred  took  you  in  to  see  his  father's  new  paint- 
ing, perhaps,"  suggested  Amelia,  who  had  recently 
enjoyed  the  treat  herself,  and  knew  much  about  good 
pictures. 

"Now,  you're  poking  fun  at  me.  Ever  since  I 
alluded  to  that  hundred-dollar  painting  as  a  chromo, 
Fred  has  ignored  me  entirely." 

"  Was  it  seeing  sailor  Jake  pass  straight  by  the 
saloon  ? "  asked  Prue,  in  her  quiet  voice. 

"  I  did  see  that,  but  it  wasn't  what  I  meant,  though 
you're  getting  nearer  to  it." 

"  Could  her  royal  majesty  be  persuaded  to  tell  us 
what  it  was  ? "  laughed  Addie,  sliding  from  the  otto- 
man to  her  knees. 


THEIR  HISTORY-BAG.  1C5 

"  Yes,  get  up,  Miss  Humble-Pie,  and  I'll  tell  you. 
I  was  gazing  from  my  palace  windows,"  she  began, 
slowly,  laying  her  head  against  the  cushion.  "  'Twas 
yesterday  afternoon,  and  perhaps  you'll  recall  how 
the  winds  blew  and  the  rains  descended  and  the  floods 
came.  I  was  just  wondering  if  our  house  was  found- 
ed upon  a  rock,  when  I  noticed  that  old  Scotchy  was 
on  her  corner  as  usual,  standing  guard  over  her  pip- 
pins, and  trying  to  hold  over  her  an  immense  yellow 
umbrella,  the  identical  one  she  used  for  a  sun-shade 
last  summer,  you  know.  You  can  imagine  what  a 
landscape  she  made.  She  planted  her  feet,  and 
clutched  the  handle  with  the  '  never-give-up '  of  all 
Scotland,  and  just  that  minute  an  unusually  stiff  gust 
came  rushing  around  the  corner — umbrella  turned 
inside  out  and  upside  down — old  Scotchy  still  clung 
and  over  she  went,  so  hard  on  to  the  shelf  that  down 
it  came,  and  there  they  were,  umbrella,  pippins,  and 
old  Scotchy  all  mixed  up  in  the  gutter.  What  on 
earth  are  you  laughing  at?"  she  demanded,  frowning 
severely  on  the  convulsed  group.  "  I'm  ashamed  of 
you  !  " 

"  Did  you  go  out  and  help  her  up  ? "  asked  Prue, 
choking  back  an  outburst,  and  trying  to  look  very 
concerned. 

UI  didn't  make  fun  of  her,  as  you're  doing  this 
minute,  and  I  couldn't  help  her,  for,  before  I  could 
start,  a  manly  form  ["  O,  how  interesting ! "  from 
Delia]  appeared  at  lier  side,  helped  her  up,  caught 


136  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

the  umbrella  which  had  started  for  the  North-west 
Passage,  furled  it,  set  up  the  shelf,  and  began  the 
hunt  for  the  pippins.  And,  do  you  know,  he  didn't 
leave  her  until  every  identical  pippin  was  in  its  place, 
and  then  he  bowed  as  politely  to  her  as  he  could  to 
any  of  his  young  lady  friends,  and  hurried  up  the 
street.  As  for  old  Scotchy,  she  looked  after  him  as 
long  as  he  was  in  sight,  and  then  she  drew  out  her 
capacious  bandanna,  and  stood  wiping  her  eyes  and 
gazing,  in  what  Margaret  would  call '  a  rapt  attitude.' " 

"Now  if  she  were  only  young  and  beautiful," 
mused  Delia,  regretfully,  "  what  a  thrilling  sequel  it 
might  have !  Isn't  it  too  bad  she's  old  and  fat  and 
homely  ? " 

"  No ! "  answered  Prue,  with  very  unusual  spirit. 
"  Any  society  young  man  can  be  polite  to  young  and 
beautiful  girls,  but  when  the  'she'  is  like  old  Scotchy, 
it  takes  a  real  gentleman  to  show  gallantry,  then, 
doesn't  it,  Margaret  ? " 

"Yes.  indeed.  It's  well  we  don't  know  this  gen- 
tleman. We  should  all  fall  in  love  with  him,  I 
know." 

"But  we  do  know  him,"  persisted  Sally,  perceiving 
with  great  glee  that  the  interest  was  running  high, 
"and  his  name" — gazing  fixedly  at  Margaret — "is 
Harry  Stevens." 

O  how  the  color  flooded  to  her  face  under  the  light 
of  five  pairs  of  mischievous  eyes,  but  she  recovered 
sufficiently  to  turn  upon  Prue  and  Addie  and  con- 


THEIR  HISTORY- BAG.  137 

gratulate  them  on  the  possession  of  such  a  brother, 
while  she  tried  to  remember  just  what  her  foregoing 
remark  had  been. 

"Well,"  said  Addie,  breaking  the  quiet  that  had 
fallen  on  the  little  company,  "what  is  the  next  course 
on  our  '  Table '  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  wondering  why  we  couldn't  have  a 
little  English  history.  Call  it  beef  on  the  bill  of  fare, 
if  you  choose,"  said  Amelia,  smoothing  Addie's  braids 
in  a  maternal  manner. 

"  O  !  "  groaned  Delia,  with  a  shrug. 

"  How  can  you  ? "  asked  Addie,  rolling  her  eyes 
beseechingly. 

"  But  I  have  thought  of  such  a  pleasant  way,  or, 
rather,  father  suggested  it.  We  can  take  a  certain 
period — for  instance,  the  age  of  Queen  Elizabeth — 
and  all  read  up  on  it,  from  Green's  History,  or  Hume's, 
and  then  write  on  slips  of  paper  four  questions.  Fold 
each  question  by  itself,  bring  them  all  together,  put 
them  in  a  grab-bag,  and  stir  well.  Then  we  can  draw 
all  around,  four  times,  and  answer  as  we  draw.  It 
has  all  the  charm  of  uncertainty,  you  see." 

"  Yes,  and  of  chance.  I  like  that  kind  of  history; 
but  don't  call  it  a  grab-bag,  or  Prue  will  vote  it  dead," 
suggested  Delia. 

"  Why,  it'll  be  a  history-bag,  of  course,  a  stocking- 
bag  that  was,  if  you  want  to  use  mine,  for  it  will  be 
just  the  thing,"  said  Addie,  ignoring  her  former 
opposition  to  history. 


138  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  What  and  if,  Miss  President,"  said  Sally,  rising 
gravel}',  "  we  can't  answer  the  question,  what  then  ? " 
bringing  her  fist  to  the  table  with  a  force  that  shook 

O        O 

it.  "  I  don't  speak  for  myself — I  wouldn't  be  so  bold 
as  to  do  that — but  for  these  my  friends,"  and  she  took 
her  chair  again  with  facial  muscles  in  perfect  repose, 
while  they  shouted. 

"Then,"  said  Amelia,  as  soon  as  she  could  speak, 
"  let  the  one  who  wrote  the  question  own  it  and 
answer  it." 

It  was  the  next  Monday  morning  that  Sally,  last,  as 
usual,  came  into  their  especial  corner  of  the  cloak- 
room, and  found  the  girls  comparing  notes  on  history, 
discussing  Queen  Elizabeth's  personal  appearance,  and 
hinting  at  the  appalling  questions  they  proposed  to 
perpetrate  on  each  other. 

"  I  was  telling  Hermann  about  it,"  said  Sally, 
knocking  the  crown  of  her  derby  hat  into  shape,  "and 
he  was  so  delighted  with  the  scheme,  that  I  invited 
him  to  come  up  to  the  meeting  and  take  a  hand  in 
the  questions." 

"Invited  him  up  to  the  meeting?"  asked  Amelia, 
accenting  each  word,  and  lifting  her  eyes  as  if  she 
must  have  misunderstood. 

"  What's  that  ? "  asked  Delia,  who  had  been  talking 
about  Queen  Elizabeth's  extensive  wardrobe,  and  only 
caught  the  last  words  ;  "  Invited  him  up  ?  What 
could  possess  you  to  do  such  a  thing  without  our 
consent  ? " 


THEIR  HISTORY-BAG.  139 

"  I  don't  want  to  put  in  any  questions  if  outsiders 
are  going  to  be  in,"  said  Addie,  straightening  her 
face  and  shrilling  her  shoulders.  "  I'm  afraid  I 

oo       o 

shall  have  an  important  engagement  Friday  night  so 
that  I  can't  come." 

"  I'm — sorry — Sally,"  said  Margaret,  slowly,  look- 
ing perplexed. 

Prue  alone  was  silent,  and  looked  from  one  to 
another  in  a  beseeching  way  that  might  have  quelled 
a  fiercer  storm,  had  looks  availed. 

Now  it  was  a  rainy,  disagreeable  morning,  and 
Sally  on  her  way  to  school  had  lost  one  rubber  and 
discovered  the  other  leaked,  and  so  both  feet  were 
well  soaked.  Sad  experience  had  taught  her  that  this 
trifling  accident  was  always  serious  with  her.  Al- 
ready the  qualms  of  sick-headache  began  to  creep  up 
her  spine,  and  instantly  her  eyes  kindled. 

"  You  may  do  just  as  you  please  about  coming," 
she  said,  sharply ;  "  I  know  it's  hard  for  you  to  come 
up  to  our  poor  little  parlor,  but  you  needn't  be  mar- 
tyrs any  more  on  my  account.  I  wont  trouble  you 
longer,"  and  here  she  choked,  turned  hastily  away, 
and  would  have  fled,  but  Prue  caught  at  her  arm 
with  such  an  agonized,  "  O  Sally  !  "  that  she  hesitated 
a  moment. 

"  I  don't  want  your  pity,"  she  answered,  never  turn- 
ing for  a  look,  and  disappeared  in  the  chapel. 

Here  the  bell  rang,  and  with  troubled  faces  they 
separated  to  their  chairs.  Sally  attended  strictly  to 


140  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

business  through  the  forenoon,  not  coming  out  at  re- 
cess, and  supremely  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  Prue  was 
trying  to  get  her  eye.  She  was  deathly  pale,  with  a 
sick  look  about  the  lips  that  went  straight  to  Prue's 
heart.  At  noon  she  rushed  out,  and  home,  before 
they  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  her. 

"  I  do  wish  Sally  wasn't  so  impulsive,"  sighed 
Amelia,  having  a  stronger  adjective  in  her  mind. 

"She  is  positively  rash,"  declared  Delia.  "Did 
you  ever  hear  any  thing  more  ridiculous  than  her  in- 
viting a  boy  in,  and  then  turning  on  us  so? " 

"  And  wont  it  break  us  all  up  ? "  queried  Addle. 
"  We  can't  send  word  to  Hermann  not  to  come,  and 
surely  we  can't  have  a  society  without  Sally.  O 
deary  rne  !  Isn't  it  dreadful  \ " 

"  She  looked  so  sick,"  said  Prue,  in  her  low  voice  ; 
"  did  you  notice  ? " 

"  May  I  propose,"  said  Margaret,  "  that  we  leave  this 
thing  to  time  and  Prue  ?  Let  us  be  true  to  Sally,  as  she 
would  surely  be  to  us  under  like  trouble.  And 
another  thing,  let  us  talk  about  it  very  little  among 
ourselves,  and  not  at  all  outside,  not  to  our  brothers 
or  friends,  and  then,  when  peace  is  restored,  we  shall 
always  be  glad  that  it  was  our  own  secret ;  and  at  any 
rate,  it  will  be  the  only  dignified  proceeding,  and 
will  save  us  from  the  slurs  about  '  girls'  fusses  and  gos- 

O  O 

sip,'  and  that  would  kill  us." 
"  I  second  that,"  said  Prue. 
"  And  we  agree  to  it,"  said  the  chorus. 


THEIR  HISTORY-BAG. 

Sally  didn't  appear  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  girls 
were  thankful  that  they  could  truthfully  report  her 
sick.  After  school  Prue  hastened  home,  and  np  the 
stair-way  of  Sally's  block,  and  left  a  little  package  and 
this  note  at  the  door : 

"DEAR  SALLY:  We  are  all  so  sorry  yon  are  sick, 
Inclosed  find  a  little  remedy  for  your  head,  which, 
you  will  remember,  helped  you  last  time.  Take  it  in 
hot  water. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  I  shall  come  to  see  about  it  myself  as  soon  as  you 
give  me  the  slightest  bit  of  a  nod  that  you  are  willing. 
I  have  to  pass  at  six,  and  if  I  hear  the  faintest  little 
tap,  shall  come  in.  But  whether  I  hear  or  not, 
we  are 

"  Yours  forever,  THE  ROUND  TABLE." 

You  may  be  sure  she  heard  it,  and  it  wasn't  faint 
either.  Up  the  stairs  hopped  Prue,  and,  without 
waiting  to  be  admitted,  turned  the  knob  into  the  cozy 
dining-room.  Sally  was  on  the  sofa,  with  her  head 
bound  up  in  a  wet  towel,  and  near  by  was  the  little 
sad-eyed  mother.  She  held  out  her  hand  to  Prue  in 
token  of  welcome,  saying  never  a  word. 

"  Have  you  taken  it  I  And  do  you  feel  better  ? " 
asked  Prue,  stooping  to  kiss  the  mother,  who  at  once 
left  them  alone. 

"  Your  pulse  is  a  trifle  fast,"  taking  the  stool  at 


14:2  ANXALS  off  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

Sally's  side,  and  putting  a  professional  thumb  on  the 
wrist. 

"  I'm  not  sick,"  declared  Sally,  warmly,  pushing  the 
towel  from  her  head  ;  "  I'm  wicked,  that's  the  matter. 
Come,  prescribe.  It's  not  hereditary,"  glancing  at 
the  door  whither  the  mother  had  gone,  "  but  it's — 
it's  chronic.  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  me  ?  " 
looking  straight  at  Prue,  with  frank,  honest  eyes. 

"  Let  you  get  over  this  headache,  and  then  come 
back  to  us,"  clasping  her  arm,  "  for  we  can't  get  along 
without  you.  We  truly  can't.  The  girls  should  have 
offered  to  help  you  out,  instead  of  making  it  harder. 
They  see  it  now,  and  are  waiting  for  a  chance." 

"No,  Prue,  there's  no  use,"  turning  her  head 
away ;  "  you're  an  angel,  and  nothing  short  of  it, 
and  you  plead  for  me,  but  I'm  the  disturbing  element, 
the  unruly  leg,  always  out  of  joint,  and  I  mustn't 
stay.  I  want  you  to  tell  them  so.  Tell  them  that  I 
would  like  to  keep  their  friendship  always,  but  I  can't 
come  back,"  clearing  her  throat,  which  would  get 
husky. 

"  Hush !  "  answered  Prue,  softly.  "  Haven't  the 
girls  proved,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  they  can't  get  along 
without  you  ?  It  isn't  like  you  to  show  your  grati- 
tude by  leaving." 

At  this  memory  Sally  just  groaned,  and  then  they 
sat  together  in  the  twilight  for  a  little,  the  doctor  fast 
rubbing  away  the  headache  with  her  healing  touch. 
After  a  little,  the  pent-up  voice  said : 


THEIR  HISTORY-BAG.  143 

"  I  can't  promise  any  thing.  I  don't  dare  to ;  but 
you  may  do  what  you  think  best.  Shouldn't  think 
they  would  want  a  sinner,  but  I'll  abide  by  what  they 
say." 

"I  knew  you  would.  Let  me  tie  this  bandage 
better.  There !  Good-night." 

"If  they  want  to  meet  here,"  called  Sally  after 
Prue,  "  I  will  send  a  note  to  Hermann,  as  I  should 
have  offered  then." 

It  was  perfectly  natural  that  the  girls  should  run 
up  to  Prue's  that  evening  to  find  out  the  situation. 

"  I  tried  to  study,  but  I  couldn't  do  a  single  solitary 
thing,"  said  Delia,  breathless  with  her  hurry. 

"Tell  us  how  to  do  it,  Prue  dear,"  said  Amelia, 
after  hearing  about  the  interview. 

"  It's  as  easy  as  two  and  two.  Just  stop  in  to-mor- 
row morning  on  our  way  to  school,  and  take  her  by 
storm." 

"But  there's  that  difficulty  of  what  we  shall  do 
with  Hermann.  It  wont  answer  to  make  Sally  hurt 
his  feelings,  and  it  will  be  hard  to  have  him  come," 
mused  Margaret,  keeping  her  finger  in  her  history, 
which  she  had  felt  she  ought  not  to  leave,  so  near 
examination,  and  so  had  compromised  with  her  reso- 
lution by  bringing  it  along. 

"  What  a  world  of  trouble  this  is,"  declared  Addie, 
beginning  to  sigh,  but  changing  it  into  a  laugh,  for 
she  had  been  downcast  quite  as  long  as  her  nature 
would  bear  it. 


144  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Prue,  jumping  up,  and  clap- 
ping her  hands.  "  Let  us  invite  the  four  honorary 
members." 

"  The  very  thing !  "  said  Amelia. 

"  It  takes  doctor  to  see  quite  through  things,"  de- 
clared Margaret,  admiringly. 

"  Don't  forget  to  send  out  the  invites,  Miss  Secre- 
tary," reminded  Delia,  as  they  started  for  the  door 
together,  "  and  put  it  strong  that  they  can't  bask  in 
our  presence  unless  they  bring  their  questions,  and  do 
their  share  of  answering." 

What  a  merry  evening  they  had  over  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, and  not  a  boy  suspected  what  had  been  in  the 
air,  although  Sally,  witli  a  dreadful  stare  at  Prue, 
which  brought  the  conscious  color  to  her  face,  recited, 
for  her  quotation,  "  '  Blessed  are  the  peace-makers.' " 
What  an  important  moment  it  was,  when,  after  the 
questions  had  been  "  bagged,"  according  to  Fred's 
statement,  and  they  had  each  drawn  one,  they  waited 
for  Fred  to  answer  his. 

"  'Xame  Queen  Elizabeth's  parents,'"  he  read,  and 
answered  promptly,  and  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  that 
he  had  gotten  off  so  easily.  Then  followed  many  in- 
teresting questions  about  her  reign,  with  charming 
little  incidents  that  will  creep  into  history,  be  it  ever 
so  dry. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "What  famous  man  died 
at  the  battle  of  Zutphen,  and  how  did  he  make  hirn- 
eelf  immortal  there?"  Amelia  was  glad  to  tell  of 


THEIR  HisxoEY-BAa.  145 

Sir  Philip  Sidney,  and  how,  when  wounded  on  that 
battle-field,  in  an  agony  of  thirst,  a  by-stander  was 
about  to  give  him  a  drink,  he  discovered  a  dying  sol- 
dier at  his  side,  and  passed  the  cap  to  him,  saying, 
"  His  necessity  is  greater  than  mine."  Any  one  could 
guess  who  put  in,  "  How  many  dresses  did  Queen 
Elizabeth  have  ? "  and  Sally  was  suspected  of,  "  Did 
she  have  Brussels  or  velvet  carpets  ? "  which  devel- 
oped the  fact  that  the  floors  were  covered  with  green 
rushes,  and  even  royal  homes  were  rough  and  bare 
and  uncomfortable. 

"Hallo!  here's  something  new,"  declared  Fred, 
unfolding  his  paper,  and  announcing  a  question 
which  had  already  been  asked  arid  answered  four 
times.  Its  freshness  had  quite  departed  by  this  time, 
but  it  gave  them  some  fun,  especially  when  Fred  an- 
swered it  with  as  much  spirit  and  enthusiasm  as  at 
first.  Not  one  of  them  has  forgotten  it  to  this  day, 
and  doubtless  could  answer  promptly,  with  many  a 
retrospective  memory,  should  you  demand,  point- 
blank,  "What  literary  men  lived  in  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's reign  ? " 

Of  course,  it  was  Fred  who  asked,  "What  man 
belonging  to  this  age  circumnavigated  the  globe  on  a 
tour  of  exploration  and  plunder  ?  "  Since  the  earlier 
days  when  he  had  planned  to  run  away  and  be  a  Sir 
Francis  Drake  himself,  he  had  admired,  unsparing- 
ly, this  exploring  mariner.  Harry  answered  very 

promptly  and  fully  such  hard  questions  as  demanded 
10 


146  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

to  know  about  the  East  India  Company  and  the  Poor 
Law  Act,  and  then,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  less- 
informed  ones,  gave  up,  defeated  and  chagrined,  be- 
fore "Describe  Queen  Elizabeth's  personal  appear- 
ance." He  passed  it  along  to  Margaret,  remarking, 
by  way  of  excuse,  that  as  he  couldn't  tell  the  color  of 
his  own  mother's  eyes,  he  shouldn't  guess  on  that. 

"  There's  no  excuse  for  not  knowing  that  she  was 
very  homely,"  said  Delia,  glad  of  a  chance  for 
reproof,  and  wondering  down  in  her  secret  thoughts, 
as  she  tossed  her  goldy-brown  curls,  whether  she 
would  exchange  them  for  ugly  ruffs  and  awkward 
crowns,  if  the  little  consideration  of  being  England's 
queen  was  thrown  in.  Xo  one  showed  better  evi- 
dence of  preparation  than  Hermann,  who  amused 
them  with  his  quaint  answers,  and  referred  every 
thing  to  S<dly  as  the  authority,  beyond  which  there 
was  no  appeal. 

Tom  was  accused  of  "  What  creature  comfort  was 
introduced  into  England  about  these  days,  and  by 
whom  ? "  which  Delia  was  glad  to  answer  quite  se- 
verely :  "  Just  to  think,"  she  said,  "  that  one  must 
al ways  think  of  a  tobacco-box  in  connection  with 
such  a  gallant  nobleman  as  Sir  Walter  Raleiarh." 

o  o 

"  It's  verily  a  blot  on  his  fair  memory,"  groaned 
Fred,  with  a  tragic  gesture. 

It  was  Sally  who  drew  "  What  is  the  conclusion  of 
the  whole  matter  ? " 

"  That  if  any  body  wants  to  be  a  queen  they're  wel- 


THEIR^HISTORY-BAG.  147 

come,"  answered  that  young  lady,  disdainfully.  "  They 
can't  marry  the  one  they  love,  nor  choose  their 
friends,  nor  bring  up  their  own  children.  And  just 
imagine  the  fun  of  knowing  that  your  head  will  drop 
off  from  your  shoulders  some  fine  morning,  if  you 
happen  to  wink  out  of  the  wrong  eye." 

After  the  bag  had  been  exhausted,  Sally  invited 
them  all  to  take  possession  of  the  little  kitchen, 
where  they  reveled  for  an  hour  in  the  sweets  of 
a  candy-pull,  with  such  laughing  and  nonsense  and 
fan  as  only  boys  and  girls  know  how  to  extract  out 
of  a  slight  provocation.  The  room  was  so  small  that 
the  most  skillful  engineering  could  not  prevent  an 
occasional  collision  ;  but  bless  you  !  it  only  helped  on 
the  frolic.  They  had  over  again  those  old  jokes 
about  "  pulling  together  "  and  "sweetness  long  drawn 
out,"  and  they  agreed  that  Tom  could  beat  them  all 
on  facial  contortions.  To  be  sure,  English  history 
does  not  in  any  way  link  molasses  candy  on  to  Queen 
Elizabeth's  reign,  and  yet  this  company,  down  to  this 
day,  in  their  allusions  to  history,  will  persist  in  find- 
ing a  connection ! 

Delia  has  never,  never  stopped  to  analyze  the  phi- 
losophy of  it,  but  thinks  she  must  have  heard  some- 
where that  Queen  Elizabeth  was  very  fond  of  mo- 
lasses candy,  made  after  Sally  Smith's  recipe. 


148  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  GINGHAM-APRON  EVENING. 

"  C\    I'M   so  glad  ! "    began  Prue,  as  Margaret  an- 

\J }  swered  her  knock,  and  admitted  her  to  the  sit- 
ting-room, only  to  find  the  other  four  girls,  who  had 
run  in,  like  Prue,  on  an  errand,  and  were  as  busily 
visiting  as  though  they  did  not  see  each  other  every 
day.  "  I  came  for  a  recipe  for  mixed  pickles,"  she 
explained,  sinking  into  the  offered  chair ;  "  but  I'm  so 
glad  you're  all  here,  and  now,  if  I've  done  the  wrong 
thing,  please  do  tell  me." 

"  It's  what  you're  always  doing,  you  know,"  said 
Sally,  frowning. 

"  You  see,  I  met  the  mission-school  woman  just 
down  here,  and  she  said  they  were  making  gingham 
aprons  for  the  children,  and  as  wre'd  been  so  kind,  she 
would  make  bold  to  ask  us  if  we  could  make  a  half- 
dozen.  The  thought  popped  into  my  head  how  nice 
it  would  be  to  give  an  evening  to  gingham  aprons, 
and  so  I  said  '  Yes,'  never  thinking  until  she  was  away 
that  we  had  a  proper  constitution  and  every  thing 
must  be  put  to  vote.  What  will  }rou  do  with  me  ?  " 
wrinkling  her  forehead,  anxiously. 

"  Hug  you,  of  course,"  said  Delia,  enforcing  the 
motion. 


A  GINGHAM-APRON  EVENING. 

"  Don't  spare  her,  Miss  President,"  advised  Sally; 
"  you  can't  be  too  severe." 

"  Those  who  approve  of  Prue's  answer,  and  will 
take  an  apron,  say  '  Aye,'  "  said  Amelia,  promptly  ; 
and  "  Aye  "  it  was  from  every  one,  even  the  president 
voting. 

"  I  was  going  to  propose  that  we  read  '  The  Vision 
of  Sir  Launfal,'  by  Lowell,  and  now  we  can  have  it 
on  the  gingham-apron  evening,  being  it's  short  and 
just  to  the  point." 

"Please,"  began  Sally,  dolefully,  "let  me  baste  and 
sew  on  buttons.  It's  every  living  thing  I  can  do, 
really  and  truly.  If  you  want  this  '  Round  Table  '  to 
get  up  a  reputation  for  square  button-holes,  jnst  set 
me  at  them." 

"  /  don't  mind  button-holes."  declared   Margaret. 

"  And  I  just  love  to  scratch  gathers  in  ruffling,"  said 
Delia,  taking  advantage  of  an  opposite  mirror  to  ad- 
just her  hat. 

Friday  night  found  all  the  girls  of  "  The  Round 
Table  "  in  the  Stevens  parlor,  each  one  armed  with 
work-bag  or  basket.  In  the  center  of  the  table 
reposed  a  volume  of  Lowell's  "  Poems  "  and  a  pile 
of  blue,  brown,  and  green  gingham  aprons,  neatly 
cut  and  folded.  The  opening  exercises  were  very 
brief  and  business-like,  becoming  those  who  have 
more  important  work  on  hand.  Sally's  quotation 
produced  a  visible  ripple  when  she  responded  to  her 
name  with, 


150  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  '  And  they  sewed  fig-leaves  together,  and  made 
themselves  aprons.' ' 

Then  the  work  was  distributed,  thimbles  and  thread 
and  needles  appeared,  and  Addie,  the  reader,  opened 
to  their  poem. 

"  It's  about  a  real  knight,  isn't  it  ? "  asked  Delia, 
squinting  both  eyes  in  her  attempts  to  gauge  the 
right  distance  for  the  respective  pockets. 

"Yes;  a  knight  of  King  Arthur's  Round  Table.  The 
note  says  that  the  '  Holy  Grail '  was  the  cup  used  by 
the  Saviour  at  the  Last  Supper.  It  passed  into  the 
family  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  and  was  worshiped 
by  pilgrims  many  years.  The  legend  says  it  would 
stay  in  a  family  only  so  long  as  the  members  were 
pure  in  thought  and  deed.  One  of  the  keepers  hav- 
ing fallen,  the  cup  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  one 
of  the  favorite  expeditions  of  King  Arthur's  knights 
was  to  go  in  search  of  it." 

o 

"  How  beau— tif ill !  "  said  Delia. 

"  How  silly,"  declared  Sally,  under  her  breath. 

"  Let  us  hear  the  story  first  and  judge  afterward," 
suggested  Margaret. 

And  so  Addie,  in  full  sympathy  with  the  matchless 
poem,  began  the  prelude,  which  describes  a  day  in 
June.  Prue  wanted  these  lines  repeated  : 

"  '  Bubbles  we  buy  with  a  whole  soul's  tasking! 
'Tis  heaven  alone  that  is  given  away, 

'Tis  only  God  may  be  had  for  the  askinpr, 
No  price  is  set  on  the  lavish  summer, 
June  may  be  had  by  the  poorest  comer.'  " 


A    GlNGHAM-ApRON    EVENING.  151 

"  I  like,"  said  Amelia,  "  where  he  calls  June  the 
high  tide  of  the  year,  when 

"  'Every  thing  is  upward  striving; 
'Tis  as  easy  now  for  the  heart  to  be  true 
As  for  gross  to  be  green,  or  skies  10  be  blue — 

'Tis  the  natural  way  of  living.'  " 

Then  came  the  story  of  Sir  Laurifal,  and  how  he 
called  for  his  golden  spurs  and  richest  mail : 

"  '  JFor  to-morrow  I  go  over  land  and  sea 
lu  search  of  the  Holy  Grail.  " 

How  he  threw  himself  down  on  the  rushes  outside, 
waiting  for  his  charger,  and  then, 

"  '  Slowly  Sir  Launfal's  eyes  grew  dim, 
Slumber  fell  like  a  cloud  on  him, 
And  into  his  soul  the  vision  rle\v.'  " 

He  saw  his  own  castle, 

"  '  The  proudest  hall  in  tlie  Xorth  Countreo, 
And  ue\  or  its  gates  might  opened  be, 
Save  to  lord  or  lady  of  high  degree,"  " 

and  himself  starting  on  his  pilgrimage.  As  he  passed 
his  castle-gate  he  became  aware  of  a  loathsome  leper, 
who  crouched  there  and  begged  alms.  To  Sir  Laun- 
fal,  so  young  and  strong, 

"  '  He  seemed  the  one  blot  on  the  summer  morn, 
So  he  tossed  him  a  piece  of  gold  in  scorn. 
The  leper  raised  not  the  gold  from  the  dust: 
il  Better  to  me  the  poor  man's  crust, 
Better  the  blessing  of  the  poor, 
Though  I  turn  me  empty  from  his  door  ; 
That  is  no  true  alms  which  the  heart  can  hold ; 
He  gives  nothing  but  worthless  gold 
Who  gives  from  a  ?ense  of  dutv.'  " 


152  ANNALS  OF  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 

After  years  of  useless  searching  Sir  Launfal,  an  old 
man,  comes  back  to  find  his  castle  occupied  by  others, 
and  himself  disowned  and  turned  away.  But  he 
doesn't  grieve  long  over  the  loss  of  his  earldom,  for 
he  lias  been  getting  into  sympathy  with  the  poor  and 
lowly  of  earth. 

"  '  Xo  more  on  his  surcoat  was  blazoned  the  cross, 
But  deep  in  his  soul  the  sign  he  wore — 
The  badge  of  the  suffering  and  the  poor.'  " 

Now  he  seeks  a  sunnier  clime,  and  finally,  in  his  wan- 
derings, comes  to  the  Eastern  desert.  One  day,  while 
he  is  looking  at  the  train  of  camels,  he  hears  this  call 
at  his  side  : 

"  '  For  Christ's  sweet  sake,  I  beg  an  alms.'  " 

He  turns,  and  sees  a  leper 

"  '  That  cowers  beside  him,  a  thing  as  lone 
And  white  as  the  ice-isles  of  Northern  seas 
In  the  desolate  horror  of  his  disease.'  " 

Sir  Launfal  does  not  turn  away,  as  before,  but  an- 
swers : 

"  '  I  behold  in  thee 

An  image  of  Him  who  died  on  the  tree ; 

Thou  also  hast  had  thy  crown  of  thorns — 

Thou  also  hast  had  the  world's  buffets  and  scorns — 

And  to  thy  life  was  not  denied 

The  wounds  in  the  hands  and  feet  and  side: 

Mild  Mary's  Son,  acknowledge  me ; 

Behold,  through  Him,  I  give  to  thee !  '  " 

As  he  remembers  how  haughtily  he  had  given  the 
other  leper,  when  he  girt  his  young  life  up  in  gilded 
mail,  he  divides  all  he  has,  though  it's  but  a  moldy 


A    GlNGHAM-APKON    EVENING.  153 

crust  of  coarse  brown  bread,  and  gives  it  to  the  beg- 
gar, and  a  drink  from  his  own  wooden  bowl. 

"  '  As  Sir  Launfal  rnused  with  a  downcast  face, 

A  light'shone  round  about  the  place ; 

The  leper  no  longer  crouched  at  his  side, 

But  stood  before  him  glorified, 

Shining  and  tall  and  lair  and  straight 

As  the  pillar  that  stood  by  the  Beautiful  Gate.' " 

And  he  says : 

" '  Lo,  it  is  I,  be  not  afraid ! 

In  many  climes,  without  avail, 

Thou  hast  spent  thy  Mfe  for  the  Holy  Grail ; 

Behold  it  is  here— this  cup  which  thou 

Didst  till  at  the  streamlet  for  me  but  now ; 

This  crust  is  rny  body  broken  for  thee, 

This  water.  His  blood,  that  died  on  the  tree; 

The  Holy  Supper  is  kept  indeed, 

In  whatso  we  share  with  another's  need.'  " 

Then  Sir  Launfal  awakes,  and  it's  only  a  dream,  but 
he  gives  up  his  expedition  and  opens  his  castle  to  the 
wanderer,  the  outcast,  and  the  meanest  serf,  saying, 

"  'The  Grail  in  my  castle  here  is  found  1  '  " 

"  Splendid !  splendid  !  "  shouted  Sally,  clapping  so 
wildly,  that  her  button-box  flew,  emptying  its  con- 
tents promiscuously. 

"  How  charming  !  "  sighed  Delia,  discovering  that 
in  her  interest  as  the  story  progressed  she  had  basted 
both  sleeves  in  under-side  up. 

"  Good  thing  it  wasn't  any  longer,"  said  Addie, 
joining  in  the  laugh  which  the  twisted-looking  apron 
raised  ;  "  you'd  have  ruffled  the  arm-hole." 


154  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"The  best  part,"  mused  Prue,  "is  where  that 
dreadful  beggar  is  transformed  into  the  Saviour  him- 
self. O,  I  wish  such  things  could  happen  nowa- 
days." 

"  It  shows  such  a  nice  connection  between  the 
story  and  our  work  to-night,"  said  Margaret,  smooth- 
ing out  her  apron  tenderly ;  "  I  was  thinking  what  a 
privilege  it  would  be  to  work  on  a  garment  which 
our  Lord  Christ  himself  should  wear ;  and  yet  the 
'  inasmuch  '  makes  just  this  humble  service  equal  to 
that  work  which  we  would  fesl  honored  by  doing." 

The  others  made* no  answer,  but  somehow  they  felt 
the  influence  of  Margaret's  beautiful  suggestion.  The 
story  had  surely  ennobled  the  work.  It  was  like  im- 
pulsive Sally  to  speak  first. 

"  I  wish  now,"  she  said,  sorrowfully,  "  that  I  had, 
sewed  them  on  better." 

"  Really  and  truly,"  began  Delia,  kindling  under 
the  inspiration  of  it  all,  "  if  our  society  had  done 
nothing  more  than  to  give  us  this  lovely  poem,  it's 
worth  while  that  we  organized,  isn't  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  shouted  the  chorus,  while  Sally  gave 
vent  to  her  feelings  by  waving  a  banner  of  plaid 
gingham.  Right  here  there  was  a  loud  knocking  at 
the  door,  and  three  heads  successively  appeared,  and 
demanded  to  know  if  they  might  please  come  it. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Prue,  graciously,  swinging  the 
door  open,  "  if  you'll  be  good  boys  and  help." 

"  How   litter-wy   we   are   to-night,"  sighed    Fred, 


A    GlXGHAM-APEON   EVENING.  155 

looking  about  at  tlie  unusual  disorder,  and  also  to  see 
if  the  effort  was  comprehended.  But  lie  was  sorry 
for  it  the  next  minute,  as  he  and  Tom  were  imme- 
diately set  at  the  bastings  by  way  of  punishment. 

Harry,  in  return  for  a  chair  by  Margaret,  agreed  to 
thread  her  needle. 

"  I  believe  you  put  in  ten  times  more  bastes  than 
there's  any  sort  of  need  of,  just  to  bother  us,"  de- 
clared Tom,  after  a  vain  hunt  for  a  knot. 

"  It's  a  good  test  for  your  patience,"  suggested 
Prue,  serenely. 

"  If  you're  going  to  groan  over  it,"  reproved  Sally, 
briskly,  "  you  may  come  and  pick  out  six  buttons 
which  shall  have  the  same  center  and  circum- 
ference." 

"  "With  pleasure,  madam,  only  don't  think  its  Fred 
and  talk  geometry  to  me,"  said  Tom,  throwing  down 
his  work  very  suddenly,  and  striding  over  to  Sally 
with  evident  delight  at  the  proposal. 

"  Don't  you  do  any  thing  to  entertain  us  for  our 
efforts  ? "  asked  Fred,  after  he  had  exerted  himself  to 
the  amount  of  two  threads. 

"  The  copy-book  says,  you  know,  that  '  Virtue  is 
\ts  own  reward,'  "  suggested  Amelia,  rounding  her 
button-hole  triumphantly. 

"  Blot  the  copy-book ! "  declared  Fred,  recklessly. 
"  Who  believes  any  such  nonsense  in  these  de- 
generate days  ? " 

"  We  do,  of  course,"  answered  Delia,  "  and  it  pains 


156  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

us  to  hear  you  speak  so  of  an  old  friend.  Addie, 
isn't  your  ruffle  a  trifle  full  ? " 

Then  followed  a  brisk  interchange  on  ruffles,  full 
and  scant,  wide  and  narrow,  which  could  only  be 
settled  by  the  combined  wisdom  of  the  girls,  while 
the  boys  looked  on  blankly,  vainly  trying  to  compre- 
hend the  interests  at  stake. 

"  Sally  might  sing  to  us,"  suggested  Tom,  when 
the  ruffle  question  had  been  settled  beyond  a  doubt. 

"  I  never  sing  any  thing  but  a  duet,  and  I  haven't 
my  notes,"  answered  Sally,  with  a  simper  and  tone 
so  true  to  life  that  it  produced  a  general  laugh. 

"  Give  us  a  speech,  then.  You're  equal  to  it,  you 
know,"  with  a  significant  side-look  which  the  rest 
didn't  seem  to  understand. 

"  'Not  when  our  valedictorian  fills  the  room,"  glanc- 
ing up  at  Harry,  who  was  deep  in*  a  discussion  over 
Latin  authors  with  Margaret. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  asked  Harry,  closing  his  book  with 
a  bang.  "  O,  don't  send  me  away.  I  want  some 
ideas  for  a  grand  closing.  Proceed,  please." 

"  I  haven't  any  text,"  answered  Sally. 

" Take,  Aprons"  suggested  Fred,  suddenly. 

"  Well,  rny  beloved,"  began  Sally,  impressively, 
staring  off  at  a  red  rose  in  the  carpet.  "  People's 
lives  are  like  aprons.  Most  of  us  begin  with  white 
ones,  but  alas  !  alas !  they  don't  stay  so.  Some  have 
heavy,  ugly-looking,  rough-shod  leather  ones,  with 
leather  strings  and  no  finishing,  but  we  admire  them 


A    GlNGHAM-ApRON    EVENING.  157 

because  they've  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
day.  Some  have  plain  gingham  ones,  with  big 
pockets,  where  they  carry  cookies  for  the  children. 
Some  start  plain  and  take  on  ruffles  as  they  go  along, 
and  some  are  all  beribboned  and  fluffed  and  puffed, 
and  don't  amount  to  any  single  thing  except  to  look 
at.  They're  too  thin  to  hide  the  multitude  of  sins, 
and  that's  the  reason  we  don't  want  that  kind,  my 
beloved.  Moral :  Have  a  substantial  one  and  don't 
be  ashamed  of  plaid  gingham." 

"  I  call  that  neat,"  said  Tom,  admiringly,  while  they 
all  cheered. 

"  If  it  wasn't  wicked  to  steal,  I  could  fit  it  on  en- 
tire," said  Harry,  regretfully,  which  made  Sally 
Irown  and  shake  her  head  and  declare  that  she  thought 
him  above  such  nonsense. 

u  There's  one  subject  on  which  you  all  ought  to  be 
prepared,"  said  Tom,  balancing  the  button-box  on  his 
thumb,  "  and  that's  temperance.  Ever  since  that 
night  you  devoted  to  temperance  facts,  I  have  fairly 
quaked  for  fear  my  little  sisters  would  take  the  stump 
on  it." 

"That's  a  fact,"  said  Fred.  "Delia  here  drove 
me  into  a  corner,  and  imparted  the  secret  that  sixty 
thousand  drunkards  die  annually  in  the  United 
States,  and  I  even  found  her  walking  the  parlor  floor, 
and  asking  a  question  which  could  not  be  answered 
by  yes  or  no,  '  Shall  we  sow  tares  and  reap  bread  ! ' : 

"  Well,  I  guess  if  you  had  a  father  to  convert  to 


158  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

prohibition,  you  would  practice  for  it  too  "  answered 
Delia,  in  self-defense. 

"  You  ought  to  have  heard  Prue,"  continued  Tom. 
"  She  stopped  in  the  midst  of  a  buckwheat  pancake 
the  next  morning  to  announce  that  '  Deep-rooted 
evils  cannot  be  killed  by  chopping  off  the  branches.' 
And  as  for  Sally,  she  doubled  up  her  fist  like  a 
minute-man  and  declared  that  *  War  may  not  be  as 
pleasant  as  peace,  but  there  are  times  when  it  is  safer.' 
I  took  the  hint  and  fled." 

'k  I   don't  see  but  that    vou  have  all  learned  the 

v 

lesson  as  well  as  we,"  said  Margaret.  "  We  did  not 
expect  to  get  such  quick  results." 

'*  I  am  more  than  glad  to  own,"  said  Harry,  ear- 
nestly, "  that  I  gained  a  good  many  facts  just  from 
the  crumbs  that  fell  from  '  The  Talk1  that  week." 

"  O,  that  isn't  all,"  continued  Fred ;  "  for  having 
heard  that  sixty  thousand  drunkards  die  annually,  I 
felt  it  my  duty  to  pass  it  along,  which  I  did,  next 
morning  at  breakfast,  and  father  dared  to  disagree, 
and  we  looked  it  up,  as  well  as  some  other  cheerful 
figures  concerning  the  number  of  saloons  and  suicides 
and  murders  that  come  out  of  it.  And  he  finally 
arose  to  such  a  pitch  that  he  said  we  ought  to  elect 
a  no-license  commissioner  here  this  fall.'' 

"  Humph  !  "  grunted  Tom.  "  Your  father's  all  in 
the  shade  beside  mine.  lie  said  he  was  going  to 
work  for  it  as  he  never  had  before,  whereat  every 
female  in  the  house  voted  '  Aye.' ': 


A  GINGHAM-APRON  EVENING.  159 

"  How  can  women  think  they  are  helpless,  because 
they  can't  vote,  when  they  can  do  so  much  toward 
educating  public  sentiment  for  temperance  !  "  said 
Amelia,  holding  up  a  finished  apron  for  the  general 
survey. 

"  Just  my  sentiments  !  "  declared  Harry,  reaching 
his  hand  over  for  an  approving  shake. 

"  Have  you  heard  how  we  are  going  to  rush  into 
print  over  it  ?"  asked  Margaret.  "Xo?  Well,  then 
you'll  want  to  shake  again.  Sally,  you  explain." 

"  The  editor  has  actually  promised  to  give  us  a  lit- 
tle corner  of  his  paper,"  began  Sally,  "  where  it  can't 
be  seen,  and  will  be  perfectly  harmless,  and  we've 
agreed  to  fill  it  brimful  of  temperance  teaching. 
'Twas  Margaret's  idea.  She's  too  modest  to  own  it, 
and  so  I'll  do  it  for  her.  I'm  to  begin  with  statistics 
next  week,  Hermann  follows  with  a  thrilling  story 
that  came  under  his  own  observation,  the  rest  fall  in 
line  with  tragedy,  comedy,  and  facts ;  and  then,  we 
shall  call  on  you  boys  for  the  logical  and  political 
conclusions." 

"  Just  the  place  for  Harry  to  air  his  notions,"  de- 
clared Fred,  with  a  knowing  wink. 

"  I  resign  in  favor  of  my  old  friend  Fred,"  re- 
turned Harry.  "  The  political  conclusions  just  come 
under  his  special  head.  I  expect  to  meet  him  some 
day  in  the  halls  of  Congress,"  with  his  best  bow  in 
the  direction  of  his  aspiring  friend. 

"  0   you   needn't  one   of  you   think   to  get  off," 


160  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

warned  Delia.  "  We  shall  call  on  you  separately  and 
individually,  and  woe  be  to  the  man  that  refuses." 

By  this  time  the  six  aprons  were  finished,  and  took 
their  respective  places  in  the  pile  on  the  table,  and 
the  gingham-apron  evening  drew  to  its  close,  with 
a  spirited  song. 

"  I  suppose,"  began  Tom,  as  he  trotted  down  the 
street  with  Sally,  "  that  if  I  ask  you  what  you  hurried 
off  home  from  business  college  for,  last  night,  you 
will  give  me  that  lecture  that's  been  simmering  all 
day." 

"  Don't  flatter  yourself.  I  haven't  thought  of  it 
all  day.  Been  busy." 

"  How  can  you  ?  "  bringing  his  hand  down  with  a 
groan,  and  evidently  cheered  at  the  thought  of  getting 
off  so  easily. 

"  But  if  you  want  to  know  what  I  think  of  it,  I 
was  downright  disappointed  in  you  last  night." 

"  Why  ?  "  in  a  tone  of  greatest  innocence,  "  what 
did  I  do  2  " 

"  It  was  what  you  didn't  do.  To  fritter  away  your 
time  over  paper- wads,  and  let  those  country  boys  and 
machinists  beat  you  over  and  over ;  not  to  mention 
disturbing  me  when  I  hadn't  a  minute  to  waste." 

"  They  hadn't  exhausted  their  weary  frames  in 
school  all  day,  that's  the  difference." 

"  They  had  earned  an  honest  living  all  day,  and  I 
must  say,  I  respect  them  for  it." 

"  Come,  don't  be  cross,"  in  his  most  soothing  tone. 


A  GINGHAM-APRON  EVENING.  1G1 

"  I  haven't  felt  like  it  lately,  and  my  corner  is  such  a 
good' one  to — 

"  Plan  fun  campaigns,  yes  ;  I  know.  Truly,  Tom, 
I  don't  mean  to  croak,  and  I  like  fun,  as  you  know, 
and  I  know  only  too  well ;  but  I  do  want  you  to  im- 
prove the  chance,  because  I  know  you'll  be  sorry  by 
and  by  if  you  don't.  I  can't  forget  to  whom  I  owe 
my  place  there,  and,  as  I  can't  pay  back  your  kind- 
ness in  any  way — 

"  Fiddlesticks  !  Did  you  notice,"  glad  of  a  chance 
to  get  off  from  personals,  "  that  awkward  fellow  work- 
ing away  with  a  left  hand  at  the  example  of  Farmer 
A  and  Farmer  B  ?  Wasn't  he  a  spectacle  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Sally,  admiringly  ;  "  and  he  plod- 
ded down  the  column  half  an  hour,  pinching  his 
pencil  desperately,  till  he  got  it.  I  wanted  to  clap 
him.  I  verily  believe  it  would  be  better  for  you  if 
you  didn't  learn  so  easily,"  she  mused,  candidly,  "  if 
you  had  to  dig  for  it  and  earn  it  with  the  sweat  of 
the  brow,  as  I  do." 

"  Your  eyes  began  it  last  night,"  declared  Tom,  on 
the  defensive.  You  know  you  just  enjoyed  Fergu- 
son's ridiculous  blunder." 

"Did  I?"  soberly.  "Very  likely,"  sighing.  "Well, 
let's  take  a  new  start." 

"  I  only  went  because  father  wanted  me  to,  and  I 
have  wasted  my  time  lately,"  declared  Tom,  frankly. 

This  was  just  what  Sally  wanted  him  to  say,  so  that 

now  it  was  safe  to  change  the  subject. 
11 


162  ANNALS  or  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

"  How  do  you  like  a  stub-pen  ? "  she  asked,  with 
interest. 

"  Prime.     Don't  you  want  to  try  it  ? " 

"Yes,  if  you  don't  mind  bringing  an  extra  one. 
Any  thing  to  help  me  on  the  curves." 

They  had  reached  Sally's  stair-way  now,  where  they 
shook  hands  as  gayly  as  though  they  had  not  arraigned 
each  other  on  general  and  particular  conduct,  and  had 
a  plain  talk  all  around. 


GRADUATION.  163 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GRADUATION. 

THEIR  winter  of  work  and  play  and  study  has 
brought  them  to  the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds, 
and  already  they  have  had  an  expedition  for  spring- 
flowers,  and  heaped  upon  their  Betty's  grave,  fragrant 
pillows  of  arbutus  and  early  violets.  It  was  one  of 
their  ways  of  keeping  their  hold  on  sailor  Jake,  who, 
with  the  humility  of  a  little  child,  was  trying  to  fol- 
low his  chart,  with  many  "  a  look  aloft,"  and  who,  in 
his  simplicity,  regarded  these  very  human  girls  as 
veritable  angels  from  the  court  of  heaven. 

Their  meetings  had  been  kept  up  despite  the  croak- 
ers, who  smiled  reluctantly  over  it  as  the  latest  freak, 
and  prophesied  an  early  death  ;  and  though  they  had 
jumped  from  the  poets  to  land  in  London,  and  from 
Bible  history  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  there  was  no  one 
to  complain  of  lack  of  system  or  propose  frightful 
cast-iron  rules.  They  were  learning  what  wealth  of 
truth  can  be  opened  up  from  history  and  literature  to 
earnest  seekers,  had  given  their  memories  excellent 
drill,  and  spent  many  hours  in  delightful  and  profit- 
able society,  which  otherwise  might  have  been  lonely, 
or  idled  away  over  foolish  gossip  or  useless  reading. 

"Girls,"  said  Delia,  starting  up  quite  suddenly  one 


164  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

night,  "have  you  ever  thought  that  we  have  never 
had  a  debate  ? " 

"  I  don't  think  debates  are  very  profitable.  It's  the 
old  story  of  the  man  convinced  against  his  will.  Be- 
sides, girls  can't  argue  in  a  dignified  way.  Let  us 
leave  that  to  the  boys,"  answered  Margaret,  scrutiniz- 
ing the  point  of  her  pencil. 

"By  all  means  let  us  have  one,"  proposed  Sally. 
"  And,  of  course,  there's  only  one  subject  for  down- 
trodden females,  and  that  is  :  '•Resolved,  That  women 
should  have  the  suffrage — the  ballot.' " 

Sally  announced  this  with  such  a  swing  of  enthusiasm 
that,  in  spite  of  Margaret,  it  prevailed,  and  the  next 
Friday  night  they  had  their  debate.  Sally  and  Delia 
took  the  positive  side  of  the  question,  and  were  igno- 
miniously  defeated,  though  they  spoke  twice  around. 

It  had  its  mission,  too,  for  it  sent  them  to  works 
on  civil  government  and  authorities  that  should  make 
their  arguments  able  to  stand  alone.  Many  interest- 
ing facts  were  developed.  The  amazement  of  the 
girls,  when  they  learned  how  large  a  proportion  of 
voters  cannot  read  and  write,  interrupted  the  meet- 
ing with  cries  of  "  Impossible !  "  Thus  they  made 
even  this  ancient,  hackneyed  subject  yield  its  tribute 
to  the  general  fund.  A  very  pleasant  quotation-exer- 
cise was  giving  each  member  the  name  of  a  poet,  and 
having  her  select  from  his  works  a  list  of  quota- 
tions, the  initial  letter  of  which  should  spell  the 
poet's  name  on  an  acrostic  plan.  This  worked  nicely 


GRADUATION.  165 

in  setting  them  to  searching  for  beautiful  things,  devel- 
oping their  ingenuity,  and  bringing  to  their  notice 
many  little  gems,  which,  as  far  as  many  readers  are 
concerned,  might  have  forever  remained  "  in  the 
dark,  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean."  And  it  had  not 
all  been  head-culture.  The  magnetism  of  purpose 
had  thrilled  and  inspired  and  made  them  all  more 
earnest.  To  cultivate  the  best  gifts  was  becoming 
the  heart  impulse. 

And  now  they  had  come  up  to  the  close  of  school, 
up  to  Harry's  graduation,  and  to  the  last  days  of  exam- 
ination and  comparing  of  records,  for  which  Sally 
had  so  heroically  worked.  The  girls  met  to  trim  the 
hall,  and  an  infinite  deal  of  pains  and  pleasure  they 
took  in  this  service,  you  may  be  sure. 

"  It  must  look  its  very  best,"  declared  Delia,  from 
a  seat  of  spicy  evergreens  which  she  was  winding. 
"  To  have  any  body  say  that  the  stage  ever  looked 
better  would  be  simply  a  disgrace  to  us.  Addie,  try 
that  urn  a  little  more  to  the  right;  that's  better.  We 
must  avoid  being  conventional  in  our  decorations." 

"  Of  course  you  know,"  said  Prue,  holding  off  a 
bouquet  for  the  effect,  "that  Hermann  is  going  to 
furnish  a  song  and  violin  solo." 

"I  expected  it,"  answered  Margaret,  smiling  ap- 
provingly on  the  rows  of  neatly -tied  greens,  as  if  they 
were  so  many  worthy  boys.  "And  I  do  hope  he 
wont  wear  his  fur-top  gloves,"  thinking  how  elegantly 
Harry  liked  to  have  things. 


1G6  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

"Pshaw!"  declared  Sally,  who  was  now  resting 
from  her  labors  on  the  top  of  the  step-ladder,  "  I  like 
him,  gloves  and  all.  They  sort  of  belong  to  him,  and 
finish  out  the  picture.  I  hope  he'll  stick  to  his  regi- 
mentals." 

"  Shall  we  send  up  our  flowers  to  Harry  in  an 
imposing  bunch,  or  by  separate  ushers,  as  soon  as  the 
applause  is  over  ? "  asked  Amelia,  clashing  her  shears 
vigorously  as  she  clipped  the  twigs. 

"I  thought  I  would  like  to  send  my  little  posy 
after  the  valedictory  address,"  answered  Margaret, 
hesitating  over  it ;  "  but  I  will  put  it  with  yours,  if 
you  think  best." 

"  O  no,  it  will  be  better  to  have  one  sent  up  after 
the  address,"  answered  Sally,  trying  to  look  wholly 
indifferent.  "  It's  a  nice  scheme,  dear ;  stick  to  it." 

Just  here  Delia  flung  her  work  away,  and  jumped 
up  with  a  cry  of  distress.  She  had  run  a  spine  under 
her  finger-nail,  and  hurried  over  to  the  doctor  for  an 
examination.  Prue  drew  her  little  tweezers  from  her 
pocket,  extracted  the  spine  in  a  trice,  and  rolled  the 
sore  finger  in  a  bit  of  soothing  linen,  which  sent 
Delia  back  to  her  greens  quite  a  martyr  to  the  cause, 
after  she  had  extorted  her  quota  of  sympathy  from 
each  of  the  trimmers. 

"  I  wonder  if  all  doctors  can  go  from  surgery  to 
flowers,  like  our  Prue  ? "  mused  Margaret,  glanc- 
ing up  at  Prue,  who  was  at  work  at  a  row  of  little 
baskets. 


GRADUATION.  1GT 

"Those  are  too  small  for  stage  effect,"  criticised 
Amelia,  looking  over  at  them,  and  shaking  her  head 
doubtfully. 

"  They're  not  intended  for  the  stage,"  answered 
Prue,  working  away  unconcernedly. 

"  O,  I  know,"  guessed  Addie.  "  They're  for  those 
graduates  who  are  not  likely  to  get  any." 

"  To — be — sure,"  commended  Sally  from  her  lofty 
seat,  showering  down  on  to  Prue  a  pair  of  peonies 
by  way  of  approval.  "  Put  them  in,  doctor.  They 
would  look  pretty  just  there." 

"  O,  Sail)7,  what  an  eye  you  have ! "  groaned  Delia, 
stopping  to  nurse  her  finger.  "  Don't  you  know 
that  they  are  only  used  for  the  most  massive  kind  of 
trimming  ? " 

"  I  don't  care,"  persisted  Sally.  "  I  like  peonies. 
They  blossom  out  so  generous.  Nothing  pinched 
about  a  peony.  Just  notice,"  holding  it  off  admir- 
ingly. She  was  so  absorbed  in  the  admiration  of 
her  favorite  that  she  failed  to  notice  the  significant 
look  which  passed  around,  and  which  had  its  sequel 
later. 

"When  the  plain  little  stage  had  been  transformed 
into  a  bower  of  summer,  and  the  last  artistic  effect 
tried  and  settled,  they  stood  around  in  a  semicircle, 
and  surveyed  it  with  sighs  of  weariness  and  perfect 
satisfaction.  Of  course  it  was  beautiful.  How  could 
it  be  otherwise  when  so  much  real  interest  and  hearty 
sympathy  went  into  the  handiwork  ? 


168  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

It  was  some  time  before  Sally  would  consent  to  be 
"  gotten  up  "  by  the  girls  in  genteel  style  for  her  ap- 
pearance on  the  stage  to  receive  the  prize,  they  knew 
would  be  awarded  her. 

"Array  me  in  solid  black,  as  they  did  Mary,  Queen 
of  Scots,  for  her  execution,"  she  urged,  with  a  tragic 
gesture. 

A  perfectly  plain  white  dress  was  her  outfit.  But 
the  girls  supplemented  with  cr6pe  lisse  at  neck  and 
sleeves,  a  deep-red,  rose  in  her  hair  and  at  her  throat 
to  give  her  color,  and  mitts  for  her  long  hands.  Delia 
brought  down  a  pair  of  delicate-tinted  kids,  but  on 
these  she  bolted  outright,  adding,  sadly  and  submis- 
sively, 

"  If  you  want  me  to  appear  perfectly  imbecile  put 
those  on,"  and  so  they  compromised.  They  rolled 
her  hair  in  the  Greek  coil,  which  she  hated  because 
it  pulled  at  her  neck,  and  Delia  liked  because  it 
helped  the  general  contour  of  the  head  and  fastened 
up  the  short  locks  in  front,  which  she  was  so  prone 
to  set  wildly  flying,  into  little  rings. 

"  Now,  remember  not  to  ruffle  your  hair,  and 
you're  all  right,"  declared  Margaret,  adjusting  the 
last  pin. 

"  Am  I  to  stand  like  this,"  asked  Sally,  anxiously, 
bracing  herself  awkwardly  against  the  table,  "  and 
say,  '  Please,  sir,  I'm  much  obliged,  sir  ? ' : 

"  Bless  yon,  no.  Just  extend  your  right  hand  for 
it,  so,  and  make  a  graceful  bow  in  acknowledgment," 


GRADUATION.  169 

prompted  Delia,  at  which  they  all  laughed,  as  Sally's 
bows  were  the  stiffest  on  record. 

"  O,  how  glad  I  shall  be  when  this  glorifying  is 
over,  and  a  body  can  settle  down  to  business,"  she 
sighed,  frowning  at  herself  in  the  glass. 

"  The  Round  Table  "  occupied  a  front  seat,  and  sat 
in  an  imposing  row  to  exult  over  their  distinguished 
members.  What  an  occasion  it  was,  to  be  sure ! 
And  how  wondrously  well  Hermann,  minus  the  fur- 
tops,  filled  in  with  music ;  so  well,  indeed,  that  his 
song  was  rapturously  encored,  to  which  he  responded 
witli  a  simple  ballad  that  won  them  completely. 
Even  Mrs.  Pullman,  who  made  it  a  point  never  to 
praise  any  thing  in  her  own  village,  elevated  her 
eye-glass,  and  then,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  girls, 
leaned  over  to  inquire  of  Delia  who  that  very  dis- 
tinguished-looking foreigner  was,  and  pronounced  the 
verdict  that  he  "  certainly  had  a  fine  accent." 

How  handsome  and  tall  and  manly  their  Harry 
looked !  and  how  he  surprised  them  with  his  mag- 
nificent voice,  as  he  pleaded  so  eloquently  for  the 
defenseless ! 

Then  came  the  awarding  of  prizes,  which  filled 
Sally  with  fear  and  trembling.  She  declared  after- 
ward, wiping  the  perspiration  from  her  brow,  that 
she  had  rather  demonstrate  every  theorem  between 
Robinson's  covers  than  sit  through  another  such 
an  evening.  No  sooner  had  she  survived  the  prin- 
cipal's speech,  and  accepted  the  roll  of  shining  gold, 


170  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

than  an  usher  handed  up  a  huge  basket  of  red  and 
white  peonies,  and  a  bright,  new  geometry.  Up 
wrent  her  hand,  out  flew  the  hair-pins,  and,  with  locks 
rampant,  that  incorrigible  maiden  turned  to  shake  her 
finger  at  the  row  of  excited,  shining  faces,  which 
immediately  retired  behind  their  fluttering  fans  in 
dire  dismay.  But  the  audience  liked  it,  and,  as  Sally 
backed  away,  they  applauded  long  and  loud,  for  her 
droll  ways  made  her  a  general  favorite,  and  the  story 
of  her  earnest  work  and  determined  independence 
had  become  well  known. 

"  Count  it,  count  it ! "  whispered  the  chorus,  as 
she  took  her  seat  with  them  again. 

"  I  can't  count,"  she  answered,  hoarsely,  spilling  it 
into  Prue's  lap,  who  immediately  announced  that 
truly  it  was  a  hundred  dollars. 

"When  the  class  song  had  been  sung  Harry  hurried 
away  from  the  stage  reception  to  join  "  The  Round 
Table  "in  the  hall. 

"  Congratulations  don't  mean  much  to  me,"  he 
said,  dropping  back  with  Margaret,  "  only  when  they 
come  from  real  friends  like  this,"  and  he  held  up  the 
card  from  her  basket,  on  which  was  a  line  of  good 
wishes. 

"  Ah,  that  is  so  little  !  "  answered  Margaret,  in  her 
low,  strong  voice.  "  We  all  feel  so  much  more  than 
we  can  say,  and  that  was  before  the  oration.  O, 
Harry,  it  seemed  so  good  to  hear  a  young  man 
pleading  for  the  helpless.  I  hope  "•  -  hesitating  a 


GRADUATION.  171 

little,  as  though  she  might  be  afraid  of  saying  more 
than  she  ought — "  that  yours  will  be  a  long  life,  and 
always  as  earnest  as  now." 

"  I  mean  that  it  shall,"  he  answered,  heartily. 
"  I  grow  more  and  more  to  feel  how  much  of  possi- 
bility life  has  in  it,  and  I  don't  want  to  be  afraid  of 
hard  things.  Give  me  a  word  of  encouragement  now 
and  then,"  he  urged,  raising  her  basket  to  sniff  its 
sweetness.  "  I  shall  need  it,  and  you  know  how  to 
give  it." 


172  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

LATER. 

IS  it  not  true  that  "  gentle  readers,"  the  world  over, 
like  to  know  what  becomes  of  the  people  who 
appear  on  printed  pages,  and  who  are  only  less  real 
than  flesh-and-blood  folks  ? 

After  having  so  thoroughly  imbibed  the  spirit  that 
"  life  is  real,  life  is  earnest,"  how  could  the  members 
of  "  The  Round  Table "  do  otherwise  than  try  to 
make  theirs  so  ?  The  president  of  this  little  circle — 
why,  she  was  the  teacher,  of  course,  using  the  same 
skill  and  tact  when  presiding  over  a  hundred  as  over 
the  five,  and  bringing  in  original  plans  of  work  as 
when,  in  other  days,  she  had  made  the  beaten  paths 
of  study  seem  like  wanderings  in  fresh  fields  and 
pastures  new.  Soon  the  call  for  Northern  teachers  in 
Southern  schools  induced  her  to  leave  the  sheltering 
parsonage  and  go  South,  where,  for  a  short  year,  she 
helped  to  solve  the  Southern  problem  by  giving  as 
an  answer,  "  Education."  Then  the  yellow  fever 
broke  out,  and,  though  the  home  letters  begged  her 
to  turn  northward,  she  would  not  desert  her  post. 
One  day  there  came  a  last  brave  letter  telling  of 
"labors  more  abundant"  among  the  sick  and  dying, 
and  then  a  telegram  ;  and  now  she  sleeps  'neath  the 


LATEK.  173 

sunny  slope  of  a  Tennessee  cemetery.  "When  the 
sad  news  came  back  it  was  Sally  who  said,  in  a  glow 
of  admiration  : 

"  As  for  me,  I  am  proud  of  that  record.  I  always 
said  it  was  Prue  who  would  be  either  an  angel  or  a 
missionary,  never  dreaming  that  Amelia  would  be 
both." 

Margaret  slipped  into  the  home  routine,  recreating 
in  Latin  translations,  which  came  from  Harry's  col- 
lege with  increasing  frequency.  It  was  also  notice- 
able that  the  letters  of  explanation  grew  long  and 
longer,  until  there  came  a  very  special  one,  in  which 
such  a  comparatively  insignificant  matter  as  Latin 
was  not  so  much  as  mentioned.  After  the  college 
valedictory  Margaret  exchanged  one  parsonage  home 
for  another,  and  there,  in  the  far  West,  where  the 
prairie  stretches  away  to  meet  the  sky,  among  the 
frontier-men  of  a  new  country,  they  together  are 

"  Still  achieving,  still  pursuing, 
Heart  within,  and  God  o'erhead." 

Prne  has  at  last  touched  the  round  toward  which 
she  has  so  patiently  and  courageously  climbed. 
When  Sally  sends  the  occasional  letter  from  her 
desk,  it  is  boldly  directed,  Prue  Stevens,  M.D.  A 
heart  less  stout  would  have  quailed  before  the  diffi- 
culties she  has  encountered.  The  thought  of  those 
who  at  home  were  watching  her  as  she  trod  the  un- 
usual and  rough-shod  path  of  a  medical  education, 


ANNALS  OF  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 

kept  her  from  turning  back  when,  in  her  moments  of 
despair,  she  almost  resolved  to  give  up  her  dreams, 
and  keep  to  the  common  routine  and  daily  task  allot- 
ted to  maidens.  The  beauty  and  wisdom  shining  out 
from  the  mechanism  of  the  human  body  grew  upon 
her  with  each  successive  step  and  made  self-conscious- 
ness sink  out  of  sight. 

It  was  a  wonderful  day  for  "  The  Bound  Table  " 
when  that  little  figure  in  black  mounted  the  univer- 
sity platform,  passed  before  a  row  of  reverend  pro- 
fessors, and  in  the  breathless  hush  that  followed,  be- 
came, by  virtue  of  her  diploma,  Dr.  Prue. 

Now  she  has  a  large,  though  it  must  be  owned 
not  very  paying,  practice,  and  finds  her  happiness 
and  inspiration  in  the  success  which  crowns  her 
work. 

Addie  says,  she  is  still  the  only  commonplace  of 
"The  Bound  Table."  In  her  own  little  home  she 
finds  full  scope  for  domestic  tastes,  and  chirps  and 
sings  and  laughs  as  of  yore,  still  wondering  how  Prue 
can  be  so  strong-minded. 

Delia  has  never  left  the  paternal  home,  though 
now  Mr.  Fred  Hunting,  her  friend  of  many  years, 
is  the  man  of  the  house.  She  has  lost  none  of  her 
peculiarities  only  as  maturer  years  have  altered  them. 
She  is  the  only  one  of  them  all  who  has  spent  a  real 
day  in  London.  How  many  times  she  thought  of  that 
"  Bound  Table  "  night,  when  she  and  Fred  actually 
trod  the  streets,  looked  upon  the  sights,  and  breathed 


LATER.  175 

the  air  of  that  great  city.  The  places,  they  visited 
on  paper  were  familiar  spots,  about  which  she  wan- 
dered with  keenest  interest,  breaking  out  with  such 
remarks  as,  "  How  natural  St.  Paul's  looks !  Now, 
do  close  your  guide-book  and  trust  to  me.  It  hasn't 
changed  a  bit  since  we  girls  were  here." 

And  finally,  proved  true  Sally's  "  Day,"  by  having 
a  dark,  dense  fog,  which  she  had  fully  expected  all 
the  time,  and  calmly  accepted  as  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme. They  two  are  good  stewards  of  manifold 
gifts,  not  forgetting  the  lessons  of  other  days,  when 
they  learned  the  blessedness  of  helping  hands  and 
open  hearts. 

Sally  is  in  a  cozy  home  of  her  own,  which  only  the 
other  day  she  deeded  to  the  dear  little  mother  "  older 
grown,"  and  very  feeble.  She  spends  most  of  her 
time  at  an  accountant's  desk,  where  she  revels  in 
ligures  to  her  heart's  content.  A  legacy  has  fallen 
to  her,  but  it  is  in  the  person  of  a  little  blind  cousin 
whom  she  is  educating.  The  business  college  receives 
much  of  her  attention,  and  she  delights  in  giving  to 
others  the  training  she  enjoyed  herself,  and  never 
does  the  left  hand  know  what  the  right  hand  doeth. 
She  has  dropped  some  of  the  angles  in  speech  and 
manner,  indulging  in  the  formerly-prohibited  frill, 
though  still  full  of  plans  and  fun,  and  managing  to 
extract  much  sunshine  from  the  prosy  things  of  life, 
both  for  herself  and  for  those  who  draw  from  her  the 
inspiration  for  nobler  ambitions  than  their  own.  If 


176  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

any  romance  has  crept  into  her  practical  work-a-day 
life,  it  is  hidden  safely  and  silently  away.  It  is  ru- 
mored by  the  mild  gossipers  that  she  is  the  cause  of 
Tom  Stevens's  bachelorhood,  though,  judging  from 
the  old  frank  way  in  which  they  meet  when  he  runs 
up  from  New  York  for  a  little  home  visit,  one  would 
think  that  days  rather  than  years  had  rolled  over 
their  heads  since  they  frolicked  together.  Occasion- 
ally he  asks : 

"  Do  you  remember  how  you  used  to  force  me  to 
a  balance,  and  show  up,  in  alarming  figures,  how 
hopelessly  my  bad  self  was  indebted  to  my  good  self  ? 
I  didn't  like  to  compare  books  with  you  then,  but 
now  come  down  to  New  York  and  I'll  show  you 
some  that  would  almost  make  you  pat  me  on  the 
shoulder,  as  you  used  to  do,  and  say,  in  your  hearty 
way,  '  Tom,  that's  a  superextra.'  I  can  see,  now,  you 
helped  me  over  many  a  crisis,  and  if  I  can  return  the 
old  score  at  any  time,  you  know,  you  have  promised 
to  let  me  know ; "  and  thus  they  part. 

It  would  not  answer  to  pass  by  Hermann.  He  is 
organist  of  St.  Jerome.  Go  up  there  next  Sunday 
and  you  will  hear  him  render  Mozart's  "  Ave 
Verum,"  as  only  a  real  musician  can  render  it. 
Daily  music-classes  bring  him  the  income  with  which 
he  supports  a  flock  of  younger  brothers  and  sisters. 
He  composed  a  song  the  other  day,  dedicated  to 
"  The  Round  Table,"  for  which  Sally  adapted  these 
Whittier  verses : 


LATER.  ITT 

"  We  are  older :  our  footsteps  so  light  in  the  play 
Of  the  iar-away  school-time  move  slower  to-day ; 
But  faith  should  be  cheerful,  and  trust  should  be  glad, 
And  our  follies  and  sins,  not  our  years,  make  us  sad. 

"Life  is  brief,  duty  grave;  but  with  rain-folded  wings, 
Of  yesterday's  sunshine  the  grateful  heart  sings; 
And  we  of  all  others  have  reason  to  pay 
The  tribute  ot'  thanks  and  rejoice  on  our  way. 

"For  the  counsels  that  turned  from  the  follies  of  youth; 
For  the  beauty  of  patience,  the  whiteness  of  truth  5 
For  the  wounds  of  rebuke,  when  love  tempered  its  edge ; . 
For  the  household's  restraint,  and  the  discipline's  hedge. 

"  There  are  moments  in  life  when  the  lip  and  the  eye 
Try  the  question  of  whether  to  smile  or  to  cry; 
And  scenes  and  reunions  that  prompt  like  our  own 
The  tender  in  feeling,  the  playful  in  tone. 

"  To  Him  be  the  glory  forever ! — We  bear 
To  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  our  wheat  with  the  tare ; 
What  we  lack  in  our  work,  may  He  find  in  our  will, 
And  winnow  in  mercy  our  good  from  the  ill!  " 
12 


The  story,  "Morning-Glories  and  Shoes,"  first  appeared  in 
"Harper's  Young  People,"  and  "A  Hospital  Sketch  "  aud 
"A  Graduation  Sketch,"  in  "The  Christian  Union."  They 
are  republished  by  permission. 


MORNING-GLORIES  AND  SHOES. 


SUCH  a  chattering !  One  might  think  a  flock 
of  birds  had  been  disturbed,  only  it  was  very 
human  chattering,  every  bit  issuing  from  the  mouths 
of  some  half-dozen  school  girls,  who,  with  baskets 
and  books,  had  just  tripped  down  the  steps  of  the 
venerable  stone  school-house,  and  were  loitering  along 
to  their  homes. 

"It  must  be  the  very  best  exhibition  we've  ever 
had,"  said  the  tallest  girl,  decidedly. 

"  I'm  so  glad  I've  got  that  new  music !  You'll 
have  to  help  me  select,  girls,"  cried  out  a  little  mid- 
get in  blue  ribbons. 

"  And  O,  Mabel,  what  will  you  wear  ? "  shouted  an- 
other girl,  as  if  this  were  the  question. 

"  It's  an  easy  thing  for  you,  Mabel,"  suggested  a 
quiet  voice,  as  its  owner  glanced  from  her  own  plain 
calico  to  the  dainty  muslin  of  the  other  girl. 

"I'm  going  to  have  a  dress  straight  from  New 
York,"  she  answered,  dwelling  with  emphasis  on  the 
"  straight."  "  Mother  said  I  should  if  I  took  part  in 
the  Ex." 

"  Lucky   child  !  "    groaned    little     Blue-Ribbons. 


180  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  Mine'll  be  that  everlasting  muslin  straight  from 
the  closet,  where  it's  been  my  bestest  for  two  years," 
ending  up  with  a  comic  sigh  and  a  laugh,  in  which 
they  all  joined. 

"  Rachel,  you  may  have  all  the  scarlet  geraniums 
you  want." 

"  O,  splendid  !  By-by  ; "  and  Rachel  turned  in 
before  a  humble  little  house,  and  bounded  up  the 
steps. 

"  O,  mother,  I'm  going  to  recite  at  the  Ex ! "  she 
called,  before  she  was  fairly  in. 

"  Aint  it  jolly  ! "  puffed  Johnnie,  breathless  in  his 
attempts  to  be  the  news-bearer. 

"Why  don't  you  say  something,  mother?"  de- 
manded the  girl. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  say  ?  Minnie  is  glad 
enough  for  both,"  answered  the  mother,  smiling  a 
very  faint  smile  over  her  sewing-machine,  and  glanc- 
ing toward  the  invalid-chair,  where  a  pair  of  very 
thin  hands  were  being  clapped  vigorously. 

"  Of  course  Minnie  is  pleased,"  advancing  to  be- 
stow a  rapturous  hug. 

"  What  will  you  wear,  Rachel  ? "  asked  the  mother, 
a  trifle  anxiously. 

"  The  same  old  thing,"  answered  Rachel,  trying  to 
say  it  cheerfully.  "  A  new  dress  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. But  I'll  have  my  cambric  laundried.  Don't 
you  think  it  looks  real  nice,  Min,  when  it's  starched? 
And  some  new  shoes,  eh  ?  " 


MORNING-GLORIES  AND  SHOES.  181 

"  Wont  your  old  shoes  answer  ? "  asked  the  moth- 
er, hesitatingly. 

"  Just  behold,  and  see  for  yourself,"  and  Kaehel 
raised  up  a  decidedly  shabby  shoe.  "  O,  don't  sigh 
so." 

"  We've  had  so  many  expenses  lately.  I  know,  dear, 
you're  very  cheerful  to  get  along  without  a  dress. 
But  where  shoes  are  coming  from  I  don't  know." 

O 

"  What  will  you  recite  ? "  asked  Minnie,  giving  her 
sister's  hand  a  little  pat  of  sympathy. 

"  I  haven't  quite  decided,"  began  Rachel,  shaking 
off  her  sad  air.  "  Miss  Moore  spoke  of  Alice  Gary's 
'  Order  for  a  Picture.'  But  I  like  '  Kentucky  Belle  ' 
best." 

"  O  yes,  you  know  that  so  well,  Rachie." 

"  Do  I  ? "  and  Rachel  stepped  out  on  the  floor, 
with  a  stage  bow,  and  began,  in  a  very  sweet  voice  : 

"  '  Summer  of  Sixty-three,  sir,  and  Conrad  was  gone  away, 
Gone  to  the  country  town,  sir,  to  sell  our  first  load  of  hay.' 

O,  I  think  this  is  so  pretty ! "  and  she  lowered  her 
voice  and  waved  her  hands  gracefully  : 

"  '  From  east  to  west,  no  river  to  shine  out  under  the  moon, 
Nothing  to  make  a  shadow  in  the  yellow  afiernoon ; 
Only  the  breathless  sunsliino,  as  I  looked  out  all  forlorn; 
Only  the  rustle,  rustle,  as  I  walked  among  the  corn.'  " 

"  It's  beautiful.  I  know  you'll  get  some  flowers. 
Wont  she,  mamma?"  demanded  Minnie,  clapping 
her  hands  again. 


182  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"Hush,  child,  don't  get  excited.  It's  tea-kettle 
time,  Rachel,  and  the  work  must  be  carried  home," 
sighing  wearily  over  the  huge  bundle,  which  meant 
bread  and  butter  to  her. 

Such  busy  times  as  those  were  among  the  girls  and 
boys,  plump  up  to  the  time  of  the  dress  rehearsal ! 
Such  trials  of  skill  before  home  critics  and  mirrors, 
such  a  thumping  of  pianos  by  the  musical  part !  You 
will  perhaps  understand  when  I  tell  you  that  the 
annual  exhibition  was  the  event  of  that  little  village. 

And  then  the  dress  rehearsal !  On  the  authority 
of  the  blue-ribboned  girl  they  had  "  a  perfectly 
lovely  time.." 

This  dress  rehearsal  was  where  the  trouble  began 
for  my  heroine —  But,  there  !  I'm  getting  ahead  of 
my  story.  Well,  Rachel  practiced,  you  may  be  sure, 
and  ironed  out  her  pretty  cambric,  and  hoped  against 
hope  that  something  would  turn  up.  Sometimes  she 
felt  like  rushing  into  the  shop  and  demanding  some 
shoes  of  those  provoking  shop-men  who  would  set 
up  the  daintiest  ones  in  the  window  right  before  her 
eyes. 

But  the  dress  rehearsal  came,  and  absolutely  noth- 
ing had  turned  up.  And  so  Rachel  (doesn't  she  de- 
serve to  be  called  a  heroine  ?)  covered  up  the  ache  in 
her  heart,  and  declared  that  the  patches  (mother's 
painstaking  work)  didn't  show  a  bit.  She  had  "  never 
thought  they  could  look  so  nice."  And  then  she 
practiced  slipping  the  worst  one  a  little  out  of  sight 


MOKNING-GLORIES  AND  SHOES.  183 

in  a  manner  pronounced  by  all  quite  easy  and 
graceful. 

But  the  boys  and  girls  were  every  one  severe  crit- 
ics. Poor  Rachel!  She  had  not  thought  it  would 
be  so  difficult  to  wear  only  a  cambric.  And  then  all 
the  butterfly  girls  right  on  the  front  seat,  where  they 
must  stare  straight  at  her  feet !  She  stammered  and 
hesitated,  and,  with  the  last  word,  left  the  stage 
chagrined  and  disheartened. 

Perhaps  Miss  Moore  saw  something  of  the  need 
of  encouragement.  At  any  rate,  she  detained  Rachel 
with  a  few  kindly  suggestions  and  some  whispered 
words  of  praise,  while  the  others  rambled  on 
ahead. 

"  Isn't  it  too  bad  about  Rachel's  shoes  ?  "  asked  the 
taller  girl. 

"  Yes.  When  we  had  set  out  to  make  this  exhibi- 
tion so  perfect,  to  have  one  of  our  best  speakers 
wear  such  shoes  !  " 

u  It  just  spoils  her  speaking,"  added  another,  just 
the  least  bit  spitefully,  because  she  had  hoped  to  be 
on  the  programme. 

"  It's  bad  enough  to  have  a  cambric  dress,  but  this 
is  too  much,"  groaned  Mabel,  in  a  grieved  tone. 

"  Just  too  much,"  groaned  the  chorus,  even  Blue- 
Ribbons  going  with  the  majority. 

How  much  of  this  Rachel  heard  nobody  knows. 
Enough,  however,  to  keep  her  outside  the  house 
winking  and  blinking  against  the  tears  which  would 


ISi  ANNALS    OF   THE    ROUND   TABLE. 

coine  ;  enough  to  make  her  utter  a  tragic  vow  that 
she  would  never  disgrace  herself  and  the  school  again 
— never. 

Every  well-behaved  story  must  have  a  hero,  you 
know.  I  wonder  if  it  is  too  late  to  introduce  mine  ? 
Tom  Taylor,  Mabel's  brother,  if  you  please,  who 
with  his  cronies  formed  the  rear  guard  for  the  group 
of  girls.  Perhaps  I  might  say  that  in  the  Taylor 
family  Tom  was  a  little  at  discount.  His  mother 
had  to  acknowledge  that  he  never  yet  had  reflected 
credit  on  his  bringing  up.  Robert,  who  had  actually 
carried  off  a  prize  at  a  Boston  school,  declared  that 
Tom  was  everlastingly  backward.  He  liked  out-doors 
ever  so  much  better  than  books.  I  really  think  he 
never  was  known  to  get  through  a  recitation,  and  as 
for  stage  performances,  he  invariably  broke  down  in 
dire  confusion. 

"  Say,"  he  began,  when  they  were  safely  within 
their  own  yard,  "  I  think  you're  awful  mean  to 
Rachel." 

"  Xow,  Tom,  you  don't  know  any  thing  about  our 
plans." 

"  Bother  your  plans  ! "  shouted  Tom,  recklessly. 
u  I  say,  if  plans  make  you  act  so  mean  to  a  jolly  girl 
like  Rachel,  they  aint  much  ;"  and  he  frowned  more 
fiercely  than  ever. 

"  You  don't  know  any  thing  about  it,  Tom  Taylor  ; 
so  there !  We're  always  good  to  Rachie.  Haven't 
I  told  her  dozens  of  times  to  get  all  her  flowers  here  ? 


MOEXLXG-GLOEIES  AXD  SHOES.  185 

And  we  like  her ;  but  we  can't  help  making  a  fuss 
over  those  shoes." 

"  What  good  does  it  do  to  clatter  'bout  it  ?  Ten  to 
one  she'll  hear  it.  Get  her  some  shoes." 

"  The  perfect  idea !  You'd  better  start  about 
shoeing  poor  people,  Tommy,"  laughed  Mabel,  twist 
ing  her  lips. 

"  If  I  do,  I  wont  get  you  to  help  me,"  answered 
Tom,  gruffly,  as  he  shuffled  off  to  bed. 

Between  you  and  me,  Tom  meant  just  what  he 
said,  and  he  never  puzzled  over  any  problem  in  his 
algebra  half  so  hard  as  over  this. 

The  next  morning  Tom,  armed  with  a  trowel,  and 
a  basket  on  his  arm,  tapped  fct  Eachel's  door. 

"  Good-morning,"  he  began,  as  Rachel  presented  a 
surprised  face.  "  I  came  to  see  if  I  could  get  some 
of  your  morning-glories.  I  want  some  awfully  bad 
to  grow  up  my  pole." 

"  Of  course ;  take  all  you  want,"  answered  Rachel, 
more  surprised  than  ever,  as  she  thought  of  his  con- 
servatory and  flower-beds  at  home.  Perhaps  he  saw 
something  of  the  surprise,  and  so  explained,  knocking 
his  trowel  bashfully  against  his  basket : 

"  I  always  did  like  morning-glories,  and  I've  got  to 
have  'em  for  my  pole." 

"  I'll  come  with  you,''  said  Rachel,  running  down 
the  steps  toward  the  trellis  where  the  vine  hung  its 
clusters  of  purple  and  pink.  "  And  please  take  all 
you  want.  I  suppose  they  may  be  nice  for  a  pole, 


186  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

but  other  flowers  are  prettier,"  observed  Rachel,  as 
he  began  digging. 

"  They're  just  the  thing  for  a  pole,"  agreed  Tom, 
eagerly.  "  There  isn't  another  vine  I  like  so  well, 
especially  for  a  pole." 

And  then,  when  the  vine  was  safely  in  the  basket, 
Torn  drew  some  silver  from  his  pocket,  dumped  it 
into  the  hole  the  vine  had  made,  and,  before  Rachel's 
astonished  eyes,  began  covering  it  up. 

"  Torn  Taylor,  you  shall  not  do  it.  You'll  lose  it. 
I  wont  have  it ; "  and  as  he  seized  his  basket  and 
started  she  unearthed  the  money  and  started  after 
him,  shouting  wildly. 

Tom  was  forced  to  sfc>p.  "  I  want  this  vine,"  he 
answered,  turning  square  around  ;  "  but  if  you  wont 
let  me  pay  for  it  like  business  I  wont  have  it — nary  a 
bit ; "  and  he  put  down  his  basket  and  looked  very 
stern  and  business-like. 

"  But,"  began  Rachel,  quite  awed  by  this  dignity. 

"Iso  buts  about  it.  I  must  plant  this  'fore  school. 
Good-bye  ! "  and  off  he  ran,  leaving  Rachel  quite 
bewildered. 

At  first,  of  course,  she  protested  that  she  wouldn't 
keep  the  money — for  any  thing  she  wouldn't.  But, 
after  a  family  council  on  the  matter,  it  ended  in  a 
very  joyful  journey  to  a  certain  store  just  around  the 
corner. 

If  Tom  could  have  guessed  the  happiness  which 
had  suddenly  bloomed  from  the  vine  which  he  was 


MORNING-GLORIES  AND  SHOES.  187 

tliat  minute  training  over  his  pole,  I  wonder  if  he 
would  have  called  it  a  bad  bargain.  Mother  smiled 
off  the  anxious  look,  and  Johnnie,  after  examining 
the  leather  critically,  worked  off  his  ecstasy  by  stand- 
ing on  his  head  a  full  minute. 

If  I  had  time  I  might  tell  you  about  the  "Ex." 
They  were  all  there.  Minnie  with  her  pillows,  and 
Johnnie,  with  a  shining  face  and  painfully  slick  hair, 
occupying  a  front  seat. 

Xo  matter  now  that  the  neat  cambric  was  a  trifle 
short,  for  when  "  Kentucky  Belle "  was  announced 
Rachel  forgot  every  thing  but  the  beautiful  story. 

Perhaps  you  remember  it — about  the  young  wife 
from  Tennessee  going  with  her  husband  to  the  prairies 
of  Ohio,  how  she  longs  "  for  the  sight  of  water,  the 
shadowed  slope  of  a  hill,"  and  about  her  husband, 
who  goes  to  the  country  town  to  sell  the  first  load  of 
hay.  Morgan  and  his  terrible  band  of  raiders  pass 
that  way.  She  hides  her  Kentucky  Belle  in  the 
bushes,  the  dear  old  horse  brought  from  the  blue- 
grass  country  of  Tennessee.  One  of  the  men  fright- 
ens her  by  stopping  and  demanding  a  drink.  But  he 
is  only  a  blue-eyed  laddie,  worn  and  sick  with  the 
terrible  marches.  He  tries  to  be  brave,  but  when  she 
tells  him  she  too  is  from  Tennessee  he  faints  and 
falls.  Before  he  is  conscious,  Morgan's  men  are  gal- 
loping on,  and  the  Michigan  cavalry  in  wild  pursuit. 
She  keeps  the  boy  until  evening,  and  then — can  you 
believe  it  ? — brings  out  her  pretty  Kentucky  Belle, 


188  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

clothes  the  boy  in  a  suit  of  Conrad's,  and  guides  him 
to  the  southward.  When  he  is  gone,  and  nothing  is 
left  but  the  ragged  suit  of  gray  and  the  drooping 
horse,  she  falls  to  crying,  and  Conrad  finds  her  so. 
How  could  he  blame  her  when  she  says  it  is  all  for 
Tennessee  ?  But  she  hears  from  the  boy  she  has 
saved,  and  Kentucky  Belle,  who  is  thriving  down  in 
the  old  blue-grass. 

As  the  story  was  told  in  Rachel's  sweet  sympathetic 
voice,  the  audience  grew  more  and  more  quiet  until, 
with  the  last  words, 

"  '  All,  we've  had  many  horses,  but  never  a  horse  like  her ! '  " 

they  burst  forth  with  the  most  uproarious  clapping 
you  ever  heard.  As  for  Johnnie,  he  came  very  near 
one  of  his  prize  somersaults,  and  Tom — Tom  clapped 
as  if  he  had  an  undisputed  right  to. 

This  was  what  Rachel  said  when  she  had  survived 
the  congratulations  and  was  safely  home  : 

"  How  little  Tom  Taylor  knew  what  he  did  for 
me  !  " 

"I had  to  laugh  to  think  how  surprised  he  would 
have  been  to  know  about  your  shoes  coming  from  his 
vine,"  added  Minnie,  smiling. 

"When  Tom  had  demurely  listened  to  Rachel's 
praises  at  home  that  night  he  just  pranced  off  to  his 
room,  where  he  could  chuckle  it  out  by  himself,  and 
declare,  in  the  face  of  the  mirror,  "  Thomas,  that's  a 
joke  worth  havin' — eh,  my  boy  ? " 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH.  •      189 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH. 


"TO    WILLIE,    FROM    HIS    MOTHER." 

"  TF  I  should  die  in  the  hospital  or  on  the  battle- 
_L  field,  for  the  sake  of  God  and  humanity,  will 
you    communicate    with    my  mother,  Mrs.    Charles 
Dodge,  town,  -   —State?" 

This,  written  upon  the  fly-leaf  of  a  little  black 
pocket  Testament. 

I  am  fast  getting  to  be  an  old  woman,  but  I  never 
shall  forget  those  old  hospital  days.  And  this  lit- 
tle book  has  brought  back  the  old  memories,  just  as 
the  sight  of  old  andirons  and  spinning-wheels  will 
carry  one  back  to  grandmother's  time.  You  see,  I 
haven't  always  had  gray  hair  and  crow's-feet.  There 
was  a  time  Ions;  ago  when  I  thought  that  life  meant 

o        o  o 

happiness.  But  when  our  neighbor's  boy,  Jo,  whom 
I  had  played  with  in  my  childhood,  came  to  me  and 
asked  me  to  make  a  choice  for  life,  I  had  to  put  it  all 
away ;  for  father  and  mother  died  that  year  and  left 
four  little  brothers  in  an  elder  sister's  care,  I  did 
the  best  I  could  for  them,  but  we  were  poor,  and 
sometimes  the  weight  was  well-nigh  too  heavy  for 
young  shoulders. 


190  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

Well!  ray  boys  grew  up  and  went  out  into  the 
world  ;  all  but  Jamie,  poor  little  cripple-boy.  I  loved 
him  the  more  because  he  was  so  dependent  on  me. 
But  he  took  sick,  and  one  spring  day  I  laid  him  away 
in  the  meeting-house  grave-yard  and  went  back  to  a 
lonely  home.  Nobody  knows  how  my  heart  ached 
for  something  to  love  arid  work  for.  And  then  the 
war  broke  out,  and  as  I  hadn't  a  husband  or  sons  to 
give  to  my  country  I  thought  I'd  go  myself.  Xot  to 
fight  ?  O  no  ;  but  as  a  nurse  in  the  hospital.  And 
so  that's  how  I  happened  to  go.  I  had  been  there 
several  months  when  the  battle  of  G—  -  killed  and 
wounded  so  many  of  oar  boys,  you  remember.  Quite 
a  number  of  them  were  brought  to  our  hospital.  I 
saw  them  carried  in,  and  then  went  through  the  wards 
to  do  what  I  could.  As  I  was  hurrying  from  one  to 
another  I  came  to  this  one  in  the  corner.  I  couldn't 
help  but  notice  right  away  how  young  and  boyish 
the  face  was.  Somehow  I  thought  of  Jamie,  and  my 
heart  gave  a  great  throb.  He  raised  up  on  his  elbow 
as  I  came  near,  gave  a  cheerful  nod  and  said,  "  Good- 
morning,  auntie." 

I  wanted  to  put  my  arms  around  his  neck  and  give 
him  a  motherly  hug,  but,  you  see,  we  had  to  learn  to 
overcome  our  feelings  there.  So  I  only  said  "  Good- 
morning,"^s  quietly  as  I  could,  and  then  went  to 
work  to  smooth  out  the  army-blanket,  and  replace 
the  haversack,  doing  duty  as  a  pillow,  by  a  woolen 
shawl  of  my  own.  You  see,  I  was  thinking  so  hard 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH.  191 

of  Jamie  it  never  occurred  to  me  that  lie  was 
wounded  until  lie  put  his  hand  over  his  breast  and 
gave  a  little  short  breath.  "  What  have  they  been 
doing  to  you  ?  "  I  asked,  taking  away  his  hand. 

"  Used  me  for  a  target,  auntie.  Splendid  shot, 
true  as  you  live,"  and  he  smiled  just  as  though  he 
was  talking  about  some  sport. 

"  Did  the  surgeon  take  the  ball  out  ? "  said  I. 

"  That  old  fellow  with  the  saw  and  screw-driver  ? 

• 

Whew !  He  bored  till  I  'most  thought  he  was  the 
gimlet  and  I  was  the  hole.  Guess  he  didn't  find  it." 

I  saw  that  it  wanted  dressing,  so  I  set  about  it.  It 
didn't  look  very  bad.  I  ventured  to  say  so,  and  you 
ought  to  have  seen  his  face  brighten,  while  he  asked, 
so  earnestly,  "  Do  you  think  so  ?  Just  what  1 
thought.  I'll  be  all  right  in  a  few  days.  Don't  you 
think  I  will  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head ;  I  didn't  want  to  disagree  with 
him,  but  knew  it  was  better  than  to  give  false  hope. 
"  ISTo  ;  not  in  a  few  days.  Perhaps  in  a  few  weeks." 
I  had  dressed  the  wound  by  this  time,  so  he  said,  in 
his  cheery  way,  that  he'd  take  a  little  trip  into  the 
land  of  nod,  and  then  began  to  snore  like  a  mis- 
chievous school-boy.  I  went  about  my  other  duties, 
but  by  and  by  came  round  just  to  see  how  he  was; 
and,  sure  enough,  he  was  sleeping  just  as  quietly  as  a 
baby. 

Next  morning  I  stopped  the  surgeon  after  he  had 
gone  through  the  wards,  for,  though  he  was  in  a  hurry, 


192  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

I  wanted  to  know  when  my  boy  was  going  to  get 
well.  I  thought  likely  as  not  he'd  ask  me  again  and 
it  would  be  so  much  better  to  say  "  the  doctor  says 
so."  The  way  that  surgeon  frowned  when  I  asked 
him — and  he  answered  so  sharp,  "When?  Shot 
through  the  lung,  madam ;  just  as  surely  dead  as 
though  his  head  was  cut  off." 

It  was  well  that  I  had  had  so  many  months  of  dis- 
cipline among  the  suffering  and  dying,  or  I  could 
never  have  heard  it  and  been  so  cairn ;  for,  you  see, 
this  boy  was  taking  Jamie's  place;  so  when  I  went  in 
with  the  bowls  of  porridge  I  couldn't  smile  back  at 
him,  although  I  saw  him  raise  up  on  his  elbow  the 
minute  I  stepped  inside  the  door.  Of  course  I  ex- 
pected he  would  be  worse,  but  he  ate  the  porridge 
with  a  boy's  relish,  and  declared  he  felt  good  enough 
to  stand  on  his  head.  While  I  was  working  for  the 
others  I  heard  a  little  tune,  now  softly  whistled,  now 
sung,  coming  from  that  corner.  It  was  something 
about  the  "  patter  of  the  rain-drops  on  the  roof." 
When  I  came  around  again  he  stopped  his  tune  long 
enough  to  ask  me  if  I  ever  sung  it.  I  told  him  I 
didn't  sing,  but  perhaps  somebody  could. 

"  No  matter  any  way,"  he  said  ;  "  only  mother  used 
to  sing  it  to  us  when  we  were  little  chaps  at  home. 
I  thought  it  would  sound  sort  of  good  here,  but  don't 
suppose  any  body  could  sing  it  quite  like  her." 

I  told  him  I  didn't  believe  any  body  could. 

The  next  day,  to  my  great  surprise,  he  seemed  a 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH.  193 

great  deal  better.  I  had  made  a  resolve  to  have  him 
send  a  letter  home  that  day ;  but  when  he  began  to 
talk  about  getting  well,  in  his  cheery  way,  it  grew 
harder  and  harder. 

"  Don't  you  suppose  I'll  have  a  furlough,  auntie, 
after  the  old  hole  gets  filled  up  ? " 

"  You  deserve  one,"  I  couldn't  help  but  say.  "  But 
hadn't  you  better  write  to  your  mother,  so  not  to 
frighten  her  ?  " 

"  O,  no  ;  'twould  scare  the  little  woman  out  of  her 
wits.  Besides,  I  want  to  surprise  her.  Wont  she  be 
glad  enough  to  shout  when  she  sees  me  walking  in 
that  side  door  by  the  lilac-bushes  !  " 

And  he  began  to  get  so  excited  just  talking  about 
it  that  I  had  to  scold  him  and  tell  him  to  go  to  sleep, 
or  he  wouldn't  go  home  very  soon. 

Really,  I  couldn't  help  keeping  up  the  delusion. 
He  was  so  much  better,  and  so  hopeful,  too  ;  I  really 
began  to  think  the  surgeon  was  mistaken  about  the 
wound.  The  next  day  he  felt  so  well  he  wanted  to 
sit  up ;  but  I  said  No,  and  tried  to  amuse  him  every 
minute  I  could  be  spared  from  the  others.  He  said  I 
rubbed  his  head  almost  like  his  mother,  and  wouldn't 
she  be  glad  to  see  him,  though  !  When  he  spoke  of 
his  mother,  I  asked  him  if  he  hadn't  better  write 
home,  and  if  he  didn't  want  his  mother  to  come  and 
escort  him  home,  for  he  wouldn't  be  real  strong  for  a 
long  time.  But  he  seemed  so  much  to  anticipate  sur- 
prising her;  and  then  he  argued  that  'twas  too  far 
13 


194  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

for  the  little  mother  to  come  alone,  and  he  was  get- 
ting well  so  fast.  The  next  day  and  the  next  found 
my  boy  full  of  hope,  and  impatient  to  get  well  and 
start  for  home.  We  had  such  pleasant  talks.  lie 
told  me  about  his  home  and  little  sisters  and  widowed 
mother.  I  told  him  about  Jamie  and  my  lonely  life. 
I  found  myself  laughing  over  his  funny  speeches  a 
good  many  times,  a  very  unusual  thing  for  a  sober 
old  maid  like  me.  He  so  firmly  believed  and  insisted 
that  he  was  getting  well  that  he  made  me  believe  it. 
Since  then  I  have  wondered  how  I  could  have  been 
so  deceived. 

The  sixth  morning,  when  I  opened  the  door,  I 
missed  the  raised  head ;  and  when  I  reached  his  cor- 
ner I  saw  it  lay  on  the  pillow.  The  smile  was  a  little 
fainter  than  usual.  I  noticed  at  once  that  each  cheek 
was  marked  with  a  flushed  spot,  and  that  he  breathed 
in  short,  quick  breaths.  In  answer  as  to  how  he 
felt  he  said, 

"  All  right — only  out  of  wind.  Can't  you  raise  a 
breeze  some  way  ? " 

I  bolstered  him  up  and  fanned  him  as  though  his 
life  depended  on  it.  All  the  time  my  heart  was 
beating  so  fast  that  I  didn't  dare  speak.  He  breathed 
easier  and  seemed  to  feel  better.  He  tried  hard  to 
swallow  the  breakfast  I  had  taken  a  little  extra 
trouble  to  prepare,  and  grew  cheerful  all  the  time. 
The  surgeon  didn't  do  any  thing  more  than  I  had 
done,  and  only  frowned  when  the  boy  asked,  in  a 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH.  195 

careless  way,  that  was  all  put  on,  if  he  wouldn't  be 
up  in  a  few  days.  He  whispered  in  my  ear  as  he 
passed, 

"  Inflammation  set  in.  Better  send  for  friends  if 
he  has  any." 

I  didn't  lose  any  time,  and  with  hands  that  trembled 
and  eyes  that  blurred  I  wrote  to  that  mother — who, 
somehow,  had  grown  akin  to  me — that  Willie  was 
wounded  and  the  doctor  thought  he  wouldn't  live. 
At  the  close  I  wrote,  "  I  am  doing  all  I  can  for  your 
dear  boy."  I  thought  perhaps  it  would  ease  her  mind 
a  little.  I  wasn't  going  to  tell  him  of  the  letter  un- 
til he  spoke  of  writing ;  but  toward  night  he  grew 
worse  again,  and  I  could  see  he  was  thinking  about 
it.  Finally  I  asked  what  I  could  do  for  him.  He 
only  turned  his  head  away  and  kept  very  still.  lie 
thought  I  didn't  see  his  lips  quiver,  and  the  tears  that 
he  tried  to  hide  in  the  woolen  shawl.  After  a  mo- 
ment he  spoke  up,  just  as  pleasant  as  ever, 

"  Perhaps  you'd  better — let  mother  know — I  aint 
getting  well — so  fast  as  I  was." 

I  told  him  just  as  quietly  as  I  could  that  I  had 
thought  for  some  time  that  his  mother  had  better 
come  and  see  :f  she  couldn't  do  better  than  I  at 
nursing,  so  I  had  sent  word  to  her  that  morning. 
He  seemed  really  pleased,  but  didn't  have  breath 
enough  to  tell  me  so  for  a  lon£  time.  After  a  while 

&  O 

he  seemed  easier,  and  I  almost  thought  he'd  gone 
asleep;  but  in  a  minute  his  eyes  opened.  "  Auntie  " 


196  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

— I  was  at  his  side  instantly — "  do  yon  think  I'll  get 
well?" 

What  could  I  say  ?  Did  you  ever  have  to  answer 
such  a  hard  question  ?  I  nerved  myself  to  tell  the 
truth.  "  I  hope  so,  Willie  ;  but  I'm  afraid  not." 

Another  question  followed :  "  "Will  mother  come 
— in  the  morning  ? " 

"  Perhaps  so.     Can't  you  go  to  sleep  ? " 

He  shook  his  head,  and  pretty  soon  laid  his  hand 
in  mine.  I  gave  it  a  warm  pressure. 

"  Auntie,  I'm  'fraid  —  I  haven't  —  been  good. 
Didn't  ever  forget — to  pray,  though — just  as  mother 
said.  Wont  you,  now  ? " 

My  first  thought  was  to  send  for  the  chaplain  ; 
but,  no ;  Willie  had  asked  me,  so  I  prayed  the  best  I 
could — prayed  that  the  mother  might  come  soon,  .and 
if  not,  the  dear  Saviour  would  help  this  suffering  boy 
here  and  the  mother  at  home,  and  that  they  might 
meet  by  and  by  in  heaven.  When  I  raised  my  head 
there  was  a  beautiful  smile  on  his  face.  I  thought 
he  was  dying.  I  called  an  attendant  and  the  doctor ; 
but  after  a  time  he  became  conscious,  and  then  be- 
gan a  struggle  for  breath  that  lasted  all  through  that 
long  and  weary  night.  Never  one  word  of  com- 
plaint, and  always  a  smile  when  we  tried  to  relieve 
him.  At  day-break  he  was  better.  As  soon  as  the 
stage  came  I  was  at  the  door  to  see  if  one  of  its 
occupants  wasn't  a  little  woman  in  black.  I  ought 
to  have  known  that  the  time  was  too  short,  but  I  was 


A  HOSPITAL  SKETCH.  197 

too  excited  to  be  reasonable.  I  can't  forget  what  an 
anxious  face  it  was  that  turned  to  me.  "  Did  she 
come  ?  "  I  conld  only  shake  my  head,  and  swallowed 
hard  to  keep  the  lump  out  of  my  throat.  "  If  she — 
don't  come — till  too  late — tell  her — it's  all  right. 
You  prayed — me  through." 

These  were  the  last  conscious  words  he  ever  spoke. 
I  was  almost  glad  to  have  him  unconscious  because 
liis  breath  came  so  hard.  I  never  left  that  bedside 
all  the  morning.  The  doctor  came  and  said  he 
couldn't  last  long,  and  I  saw  the  same  beautiful  look 
coming  back  to  his  face.  I  whispered  "  Willie,"  and 
kissed  his  forehead,  growing  moist  with  the  death- 
damp,  just  as  I  thought  his  mother  would.  The  lips 
moved.  "Now  I— lay  me — down  to  sleep,"  and  he 
was  dead  even  while  I  held  him  to  my  owrn  warm, 
beating  heart. 

o 

Do  you  know  any  thing  about  hospital  funerals  ? 
They  buried  him  next  day,  and  still  his  mother  had 
not  come.  There  was  a  pine  coffin,  a  few  flowers  I 
had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  get,  a  short  prayer,  and 
"  Dust  to  dust."  The  one  mourner  had  to  choke 
back  her  tears  and  go  back  to  duties,  grown  more 
sacred,  but  never  more  to  be  lightened  by  the  smiles 
and  cheer  of  her  boy. 

She  came  next  day.  I  showed  her  the  little  wooden 
slab,  and  told  her  how  Jie  talked  of  mother  and  the 
messages  he  left,  and  how  beautiful  he  went  to  sleep. 
She  didn't  blame  me  a  bit,  seemed  to  know  that  I 


198  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

had  done  what  I  could  for  him,  and  so  comforted  me 
more  than  I  did  her.  She  took  the  pine  coffin  back 
with  her  to  bury  her  boy  by  her  husband.  Never 
shall  I  forget  how  she  smiled  through  her  tears  as  she 
talked  of  their  being  together.  There  can  be  sub- 
limity in  suffering.  1  have  seen  it.  This  Testa- 
ment, you  see,  was  given  me  by  that  mother  when 
on  that  dreary  morning  she  started  out  from  the 
dark,  gloomy  hospital  with  her  boy. 


A  GRADUATION  SKETCH.  199 


A  GRADUATION  SKETCH, 


GRADUATION  night  in  a  certain  city  we  will 
call  it,  since  \ve  must  call  it  something,  and  can't 
give  it  its  real  name.  Such  a  crowd  of  people !  Such 
a  heavy  flower-laden  atmosphere  !  Just  as  I  began  to 
grow  impatient,  watching  for  the  appearance  of  girls 
in  white,  and  spruce  young  men  trying  to  appreciate 
the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  a  woman  and  little  girl 
were  ushered  into  the  seat  in  front  of  me.  Nothing 
very  remarkable  in  that,  to  be  sure,  but  I  forgot  to 
watch  the  coming  of  the  graduates  just  as  soon  as  my 
neighbors  were  seated.  Perhaps  it  was  their  dress 
which  first  took  my  attention.  It  was  so  plain,  espe- 
cially the  mother's.  She  wore  a  thick  winter  dress 
and  bonnet,  very  old-fashioned  and  much  worn.  The 
little  girl's  dress,  a  faded  calico,  had  evidently  been 
starched  and  ironed  for  the  occasion,  the  short  sleeves 
of  which,  outgrown,  she  kept  pulling  down  over  her 
brown  arms.  But  what  I  noticed  more  than  these  was 
the  chubby  hand  of  the  little  girl, which  held  a  bouquet 
of  wild  flowers — field  daisies  and  bright  yellow  but- 
tercups— tied  together  with  a  little  bit  of  blue  ribbon, 
the  knot  of  which  the  little  girl  would  tie  and  untie 


200  ANNALS  OF  TKE  BOUND  TABLE. 

over  and  over  again,  giving  it  little  loving  pats.  But 
just  then  there  was  a  bustle  in  front  of  the  little 
girl  and  her  mother,  and  a  row  of  elegantly-dressed 
ladies  were  seated.  The  judge's  family.  I  remem- 
bered then  that  the  judge's  daughter  was  a  graduate ; 
and  all  those  lovely  flowers  were  for  her.  Such 
dainty  baskets  and  fragrant  hot-house  bouquets! 
The  judge  himself  had  an  arm-chair  in  the  aisle.  He 
was  posing  a  basket  of  roses  on  his  knee  in  a  way 
peculiar  to  complacent  dignitaries.  I  couldn't  help 
comparing  his  calm,  self-satisfied  face  with  the  anx- 
ious one  in  the  shabby  winter  bonnet.  The  music 
struck  up  then,  to  the  relief  of  uneasy  ones,  and  in 
came  the  row  of  white.  Even  the  judge  showed  the 
least  sign  of  interest,  while  the  mother  and  little  sis- 
ter watched  the  stage  with  anxiety  almost  breathless. 
There  she  came — I  knew  her  right  away — next  to 
the  white  silk  and  diamonds  of  the  judge's  daughter  ; 
a  pretty  face  in  a  simple  dress.  I  saw  her  eye  run 
along  the  crowded  tiers  of  seats  with  an  almost  con- 
fused expression  until  it  lit  on  the  old  bonnet,  and 
then  there  was  a  little  nod,  an  answering  mother- 
smile  of  assurance,  a  wave  of  sister's  little  sun- 
burned hand,  and  the  family  were  ready  for  the 
exercises. 

I  began  to  read  the  whole  story  from  the  simple 
pretty  dress  on  the  stage :  the  story  of  hard  work 
and  petty  sacrifices  that  the  daughter  might  come  to 
this  night.  It  made  the  faded  calico  and  old  winter 


A  GRADUATION  SKETCH.  201 

clothing  look  differently,  somehow.  But  the  bell 
struck,  and  now  one  after  another  of  the  girls  and 
boys  came  forward,  took  part,  and  retired,  with  a 
share  of  applause.  I  became  tired  after  awhile,  and 
turned  again  to  my  neighbors.  Like  me,  the  little 
girl  had  grown  weary  waiting  for  sister,  and  was  eying 
the  elegant  dresses  in  front  of  her  with  all  the  child- 
look  of  wonder  and  admiration.  And  then  the 
flowers !  How  her  little  freckled  face  broadened 
into  a  smile  as  she  took  in  their  beautiful  colors. 
Then,  with  a  sudden  thought,  she  turned  toward  her 
own  rustic  bouquet,  which  all  this  while  she  had 
held  unconsciously  in  a  tight  clasp.  The  poor  little 
flowers  were  drooping  with  thirst.  All  the  srnile 
went  away.  There  was  a  quick  glance  at  the  row  of 
ladies  and  bouquets,  at  the  stage,  and  then  at  her  own 
buttercups  and  daisies  and  bit  of  blue  ribbon.  Such 
a  pitying  look  she  gave  them  and  they  dropped  into 
her  lap.  Just  here  the  graduate  in  simple  white  was 
announced,  but  the  little  figure  before  me  heeded  it 
not.  The  chin  fell  lower  and  lower  on  the  waist  of 
the  faded  calico.  The  mother,  all  intent  on  the 
daughter  read  ins:,  didn't  notice  the  one  at  her  side. 

c>  O ' 

I  was  watching  the  drooping  head  so  closely  not  one 
word  of  the  essay  did  I  hear.  I  only  knew  that  the 
little  chin  was  beginning  to  quiver  when  there  was  a 
clapping  which  told  that  the  essay  was  finished.  The 
mother  turned  to  the  child,  and  I  heard  her  whisper, 
a  little  excitedly,  "  Throw  the  flowers,  Kittie,  now, 


202  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

you  see ! "  But  Kittle  only  shook  her  head,  and  I 
heard  a  little  smothered  sob.  Meanwhile,  the  sister 
had  taken  her  seat.  There  was  a  little  awkward  pause 
without  flowers,  and  the  exercises  were  about  to 
go  on,  when,  to  my  complete  surprise,  the  judge 
raised  his  dignitied  form,  walked  to  the  stage,  and 
himself  handed  up  his  basket  of  roses ;  with  a  blush 
of  pleasure  and  astonishment  the  young  girl  received 
them,  while  the  people  cheered.  As  for  Kittie,  a 
sky  full  of  sunshine  after  a  dark  cloud  would  be  a  fit 
comparison.  The  seat  could  hardly  contain  her  ;  she 
bobbed  around  like  a  canary-bird,  "  O,  O !  See 
Mary's  posies ! "  she  whispered,  audibly.  People 
were  looking  at  her,  even  the  judge's  family  turned 
their  heads  a  little.  But  her  eyes  were  fixed  intently 
on  Mary  until  the  judge  came  back  to  his  chair,  when 
she  turned  and  fairly  beamed  on  him.  He  liked  it ; 
in  fact,  tried  to  smile  and  came  nearer  it  than  I 
supposed  he  could.  I  knew  then  how  it  came  to 
happen.  He  had  been  watching  this  little  tragedy  as 
well  as  I,  only  that  he  had  turned  it  into  a  comedy. 
Somehow  that  stern  old  judge  looked  differently  to 
me  and  has  looked  differently  ever  since.  When  of 
a  summer  morning  I  meet  him  strolling  toward  the 
city  I  forget  the  pompous  manner,  and  remember 
that  under  the  diamond  studs  is  a  kindly  spot  which 
once  responded  to  a  child's  sorrow. 


A  SKETCH  ON  WHEELS.  203 


A  SKETCH  ON  WHEELS, 


wonder  how  it  happened,  eh  ?  Never  seemed 
~L  a  bit  strange  to  me.  You  recollect  'bout  my  bad 
luck  down  in  the  Row,  don't  you  ?  Had  a  little  busi- 
ness scheme  away  off  in  California  at  the  same  time. 
And  Mary,  she's  orre  of  them  likely  women,  she  says : 
'•  John,  you  go  right  along.  Do  what  you  can,  and 
I'll  take  care  of  myself  and  the  boys"  (two  little 
chaps  they  was.)  Well,  I  thought  about  it,  and  while 
I  was  thinkin'  the  little  woman  bustled  around  and 
got  me  off  afore  I  could  hardly  make  up  my  mind  to 
leave  her  and  the  little  fellows  for  sech  a  long  tramp. 
Staid  a  year,  sir;  and  made  some  money,  that's  the 
best  of  it. 

And  as  I  started  to  tell,  I  was  a-comin'  home. 
Planned  to  get  home  Christmas  Eve.  'Twas  that  day. 
Never  shall  foro-it  it,  sir.  Train  went  so  terrible 

o  / 

slow.  I  begun  to  look  'bout  in  the  car  for  something 
to  take  up  my  mind.  I  had  been  calculatin'  the  in- 
terest on  that  minin'  stock  until  I  knew  it  by  heart. 
And  I  was  gettin'  oneasy,  so  I  looked  'round  in  the 
car.  First  thing  I  noticed  was  a  couple  o'  little  gals. 
Sat  jest  'bout  where  you  do,  and  somehow  I  kept 
a-lookin'  'til  I  was  'shamed  to  stare.  Then  I  picked 


ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

up  my  newspaper  and  sort  o'  looked  over  that  at 
'em.  Don't  know  what  there  was  'bout  'em,  either, 
only  I  couldn't  help  it.  Smallest  was  such  a  little 
chit.  Not  much  more'n  a  baby,  and  the  other  one 
wa'n't  much  bigger.  But  if  she  didn't  act  like  a 
woman,  then  I'll  lose  my  guess.  Couldn't  make  out 
for  the  life  o'  me  how  old  she  was.  But  'twas  fun  to 
watch  her,  though,  takin'  care  of  the  little  tiling. 
She'd  wrap  her  up  over  an'  over  again,  and  git  her  a 
drink,  and  hold  her  when  she  was  tired.  By  and  by 
the  littlest  one  was  cold,  and  so  what  did  that  little 
woman  do  but  peel  off  her  own  shawl  and  wrap  it 
'round  the  baby.  She  had  the  same  way  of  pattin'  it 
and  smoothin'  it  that  Mary  always  had.  I  sort  o'  eyed 
the  shawls  and  made  up  my  mind  they  wa'n't  new, 
neither  was  the  rest  of  the  clothes  they  had  on.  The 
smallest  one  hadn't  more'n  gone  off  for  a  doze  'fore 
the  engine  give  one  of  them  sharp  whistles.  My ! 
Wasn't  she  scart  ?  Thinks  I  to  myself :  "  Little 
mother,  you've  got  your  hands  full."  What  did  she 
do  ?  Why,  jest  hugged  her  up  'tight  an'  quieted  her 
in  a  jiff,  tellin'  her,  "  Susie  wouldn't  let  any  thing 
hurt  her." 

I  found  out  so  much.  Her  name  was  Susie.  There 
was  a  man  sittin'  in  t'other  half  of  the  seat.  When  I 
see  him  I  begin  to  plan  it  all  out.  Says  I  to  myself, 
"  He's  the  father.  He  belongs  to  them.  May  be 
they've  been  off  on  a  visit,  an'  the  father  is  takin' 
them  home  to  spend  Christmas."  You  see,  I'd  kind 


A  SKETCH  ON  "WHEELS.  205 

o'  got  it  into  my  head  that  every  body  was  goin' 
home  to  spend  Christmas.  But  thinks  I  to  myself, 
he  needn't  look  so  cross  'bout  it.  How  his  face  was 
screwed  into  wrinkles!  Looked  like  the  little  end  of 
a  pickle.  And  he  never  paid  no  more  attention  to 
them  children  than  as  if — they  wa'n't  there. 

Then  I  fell  to  watchin'  the  mother  ag'in,  and  I  got 
stirred  np,  I  tell  you.  You  see,  the  littlest  one  had 
gone  fast  asleep  in  her  arms,  an'  she  was  beginnin'  to 
get  sleepy  herself.  Those  eyelids  acted  as  if  they  had 
weights  on  'em.  Orice'n  a  while  they  would  git  the 
start  of  her,  and  her  head  'ud  give  a  quick  little  bob, 
but  quicker'n  a  wink  she'd  be  sittin'  straight  up, 
lookin'  jest  as  a  brave  soldier  on  guard. 

And  there  the  father  set  lookin'  as  ugly  as  ever. 
Says  I,  almost  out  loud :  "Are  you  made  of  cast-iron, 
or  are  you  a  brute  ? "  I  really  begun  to  wonder  if  he 
wasn't  some  sort  of  a  machine,  when  he  got  up  and 
shuffled  off  into  the  smokin'  car.  Just  the  chance  I 
wanted,  you  see.  I  took  possession,  and  bein'  sort  o' 
rough,  I  scart  all  the  sleep  out  of  her  eyes,  I  reckon. 

"Little  gal,  I've  come  over  to  git  acquainted,"  says 
I.  "  That's  your  sister,  and  your  father  is  takin'  you 
home  to  spend  Christmas,  I  suppose." 

"  O  no,  sir  ;  he's  Uncle  Joseph." 

Her  voice  trembled  a  little,  but  I  noticed  she  didn't 
hold  on  to  her  sister  quite  so  hard  as  she  did  afore  I 
spoke.  Thinks  I,  "What  a  dunce  not  to  have  knowed 
that  he  wasn't  a  father." 


206  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  And  he's  takin'  you  home  ? " 

She  sort  o'  hesitated : 

"  No,  sir ;  I  guess — yes,  sir ;  to  the  Home." 

"  The  Home  ? "  says  I.  Then  I  thought :  "  O,  the 
Orphans'  Home?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Do  you  want  to  go  ? " 

"Yes,  sir;  Mrs.  Smith  says  it  aint  a  bad  place." 

But  I  saw  her  lookin'  mighty  anxious  in  spite  of  its 
not  bein'  a  bad  place. 

"  And  who's  Mrs.  Smith  ? " 

"  She  lived  'cross  the  way,  and  gave  Nellie  cookies, 
and  let  us  play  with  Tabby.  I  don't  know  what 
Nellie' 11  do  without  seeing  Tabby." 

This  last  was  ended  up  with  a  little  sigh  and  an 
anxious  look  at  Nellie.  While  they  was  eatin'  some 
knickknacks  I  bought  I  was  guessin'  at  the  whole 
story.  That  old  fellow  was  sendin'  them  off,  and  no 
mistake — wanted  to  git  rid  o'  them,  likely.  Finally 
I  asked  her  whether  she'd  been  livin'  with  her  mother 
or  Uncle  Joseph.  The  poor  little  creature  choked 
right  up,  but  she  didn't  cry.  Not  a  bit  of  it.  Too 
plucky  for  that. 

"  Uncle  Joseph,"  she  said.  "  Mother's  been  dead  a 
long  time.  Nellie  couldn't  'member,  but  I  guess  it's 
most  a  year." 

"And  since  then  you've  lived  at  Uncle  Joseph's? 
You  hate  to  leave  Uncle  Joseph's,  don't  you  ? "  This 
was  a  poser.  She  had  a  hard  time  tindin'  an  answer. 


A  SKETCH  ox  WHEELS.  207 

"  I  don't  know,  sir." 

She  acted  so  shy  after  this  that  I  thought  I'd  give 
her  a  breathin'  spell.  So  I  coaxed  the  baby  to  come 
an'  sit  on  my  lap,  and  that  won  her  over,  jest  the  way 
it  does  all  mothers.  Says  I : 

"I've  got  two  little  fellows,  but  I  aint  seen  'em  in 
a  long  time.  I  brought  'em  a  whole  box  full  o'  play- 
things. Wouldn't  you  like  to  go  home  with  me  an' 
help  'em  have  a  good  time  ? " 

How  Susie's  eyes  sparkled !  But  she  showed  the 
mother  right  out.  Says  she,  a-turnin'  to  the  little 
one  : 

"  Xellie  would  like  to  go  with  the  kind  gentleman, 
wouldn't  she  ? " 

For  answer  Nellie  nestled  up  close,  and  I  tell  you  it 
somehow  made  me  feel  kind  o'  tender.  Hadn't  had 
any  little  folks  for  most  a  year,  you  see.  And  her 
sayin'  "  kind,"  too.  You  know  how  'tis.  There  aint 
any  blesseder  thing  outside  heaven  than  gittin'  the 
faith  o1  little  folks,  I  reckon.  Fact  is,  we's  jest  fairly 
gittin'  acquainted  when  Uncle  Joseph  come  in.  I 
hustled  back  to  my  seat.  Felt  as  if  the  plague  was 
comin'.  What  a  terrible  thinkin'  I  kept  up  after  I 
settled  down  in  the  car -seat!  Says  I  to  myself: 
"  John,  what  is  your  duty  ?  Don't  be  rash.  What 
would  Mary  think  of  such  a  Christmas  present?  You 
aint  got  any  little  gals,  an'  you've  got  enough  to 
take  care  o'  some  with.  And  then,  supposin'  you  and 
Mary  had  been  took  away  from  your  boys  when  you 


208  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

was  poor,  what  would  you've  wanted  folks  to  do  by 
them?" 

Didn't  take  rne  long  to  answer  that.  I  looked  at  it 
on  all  sides,  and  was  so  stirred  up,  I  got  right  up  an' 
began  to  talk  business  with  Uncle  Joseph  on  the  spur 
o'  the  minute.  "Wasn't  he  a  tough  one,  though? 
Wanted  me  to  pay  him ;  but  I  soon  fixed  him,  and 
made  him  sign  my  paper.  Don't  know  how  I  did  it. 
But  when  the  whole  thing  was  done,  I  jest  picked 
up  them  little  ones  an'  took  possession  of  'em.  Didn't 
they  git  taken  care  of  the  rest  of  the  journey,  though? 

I  confess  I  worried  a  little  'bout  Mary.  She's  the 
best  woman  in  the  world,  but  what  she'd  say  to  havin' 
an  orphan  asylum  turned  in  on  her,  I  didn't  know. 
"We  got  there  at  last.  It  was  the  joyfulest  comin' 
home  I  ever  had.  Mary  an'  the  boys  were  there. 
The  boys  grown  a  mite  bigger,  to  be  sure,  but  with 
their  mother's  eyes  shin  in'  under  their  foreheads,  so 
there  was  no  mistakin'  'em.  I  trotted  out  my  little 
waifs,  and  told  her  and  the  boys  that  there  was  some 
little  gals  I  had  picked  up  and  brought  home  for  a 
Christmas  present.  She  jest  took  'em  right  into  her 
motherly  heart,  but  I  could  see  she  didn't  understand 
'twas  for  life.  Of  course  Mary  and  I  had  a  good  deal 
to  talk  'bout  while  the  children  was  gittin'  acquaint- 
ed ;  so  much  that  I  didn't  tell  her  my  whole  plan 
'bout  them  children.  "We  had  talked  a  long  time,  in 
fact  the  little  folks  was  in  bed,  when  I  rather  hinted 
it  to  her. 


A  SKETCH  ON  WHEELS.  209 

"  Wliy,  John  ! "  said  she,  jest  as  she  used  to  when  I 
was  headlong  'bout  business. 

Says  I :  "  Mary,  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"  But,"  says  she,  "  it's  so  sudden.  You  don't  know 
any  thing  'bout  the  family.  There  may  be  bad  blood, 
John." 

Says  I :  "  Mary,  I'll  tell  you  the  whole  story,  and 
you  decide  whether  we'll  turn  them  little  gals  away." 

Well,  I  told  her;  an'  if  she  didn't  git  to  cryin'  out- 
right, then  'twas  sometliin'  that  looked  mighty  like 
tears.  Says  she  :  "John,  we'll  try."  And,  sir,  we've 
been  tryin'  it  ever  since. 

"  Sorry  ri "  did  you  ask  ?     Kever,  sir. 
14 


210  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 


PRISCILLA  GRIMES'S  CHRISTMAS. 


MISS  GRIMES  was  a  good  woman.  Nobody  in 
all  that  neighborhood  would  have  thought  of 
questioning  it.  Faithful  to  the  extent  that  one  might 
as  well  expect  the  parson  himself  to  be  absent  from 
church.  Honorable  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  trifles. 
But  somehow,  perhaps,  because  life  had  dealt  none 
too  kindly  with  her,  she  had  come  to  take  a  severe 
view  of  it.  And,  too,  it  had  been  lonely.  I  don't 
think  she  let  herself  know  how  lonely  or  how  sorely 
she  missed  the  other  members  of  the  family  who  long 
ago  had  been  carried  to  the  church-yard  and  left  her 
sole  proprietress. 

When  one  October  day  Miss  Grimes  journeyed  to 
the  city  and  brought  home  a  pale-faced  little  girl,  and 
when  she  further  answered  briefly  the  inquiries  by 
saying  that  she  had  adopted  the  child,  the  neighbors, 
much  surprised,  could  not  refrain  from  making  it  the 
subject  of  a  little  rnild  gossip.  But  the  new-comer 
slipped  into  the  routine — as  every  thing  did  at  the 
Grimes  home — and  the  neighbors  became  accustomed 

™ 

to  seeing  the  child,  whom  she  called  Priscilla,  with 
Miss  Grimes  at  church  neatly  clad  and  painfully  prim. 


PRISCILLA  GRIMES'S  CHRISTMAS.  211 

"  She's  a  remarkably  good  woman  in  many  re- 
spects," observed  Mrs.  Betts,  the  mother  of  four 
rollicking  boys ;  "  but  I  don't  know  about  her  getting 
along  with  a  child.  My  boys  just  dread  her." 

"She  hasn't  any  more  bend  than  a  barn-door,"  added 
Deacon  Patterson's  daughter,  when  affairs  were  being 
discussed  at  the  sewing  society.  ';I  never  shall  forget 
when  I  was  sick  how  she  came  in  with  her  bundle  of 
thorough  wort  and  looked  me  over." 

The  child  seemed  to  be  a  quiet  little  thing,  pleased 
with  her  comfortable  quarters.  To  be  sure  she  some- 
times forgot  herself.  Once  she  laughed  right  out  in 
church  when  Johnny  Betts  fell  over  the  stove ;  but 
this  levity  was  severely  frowned  upon,  as  were  the 
cases  of  tearing  her  clothes,  breaking  dishes,  and  sing- 
ing when  she  should  have  been  intent  on  "  Sanders's 
Speller  " — the  very  one  Miss  Grimes  herself  had  car- 
ried to  school  ever  so  long  ago.  This  last  was  one  of 
Priscilla's  trials.  It  must  be  confessed  she  didn't  like 
school  very  well,  with  the  exception  of  recess  and 
noonings.  The  figures  had  a  way  of  not  adding,  and 
just  as  likely  as  not  the  hard-studied  spelling  lesson 
would  grow  dimmer  and  dimmer,  and  finally  slip 
away  entirely  at  the  critical  moment  when  she  stood 
toeing  the  crack  in  front  of  the  black-eyed  teacher. 

But  Priscilla  had  her  comforts,  too,  one  of  which 
was  plenty  to  eat  and  wear,  and  back  in  other  days 
these  had  been  decidedly  scarce.  And  then,  there 
was  her  other  comfort  (a  funny  comfort  you'll  call  it, 


212  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

too),  named  Belindy.  No  matter  that  Belindy  was 
not  a  store  doll,  and  that  her  cotton  head  was  home- 
made, destitute  of  paint  and  wax,  and  that  she  came 
from  a  mission  school  Christmas  tree,  she  was  rich  in 
one  thing,  Priscilla's  love.  All  her  secrets  were  safely 
confided  to  Belinda's  ears,  who  proved  a  charming 
listener,  never  betraying  them  nor  interrupting.  The 
India-ink  eyes  always  beamed  lovingly  at  Priscilla,  no 
matter  how  the  world  went.  Just  as  regularly  as  the 
morning  came  Belindy  was  taken  from  her  drawer, 
affectionately  embraced,  and  then  put  away  again, 
there  to  repose  until  bed-time,  on  which  occasion  Pris- 
cilla often  devoted  lengthy  conversations  to  her  on 
the  events  of  the  day. 

One  evening,  after  knitting  her  stent  and  studying 
her  slate,  she  went,  as  usual,  up  to  the  cozy  little  room, 
bearing  the  candle  very  perpendicularly,  for  Miss 
Grimes  never  forgot  the  nightly  warning  about  "  drip- 
ping." "My  dear  Belindy,"  she  began,  taking  Be- 
lindy from  her  retreat  and  propping  her  up  against 
the  pillow,  "  you  did  want  to  see  me,  course  you  did. 
What  do  you  think  Mike  done  to-day  when  I  stood 
up  to  say  my  lesson  ?  Made  a  face!  Yes,  sir,  he 
did.  And  O,  Belindy.  I'm  drefful  'fraid  we  wont 
have  no  Christmas  here,  'cause  Miss  Grimes  says, 
says  she  :  '  The  Bible  tells  us  how  to  keep  Christmas. 
The  shepherds  kep'  it  by  singin'  an'  prayinV  'Taint 
half  so  nice  as  a  Christmas  tree,  is  it,  Belindy,  dear  ? 
Do  you  'member  what  they  had  at  the  Sunday-school 


PKISCILLA  GKIMES'S  CIIEISTMAS.  213 

Christmas  tree  ?  Bags  of  candy,  Belindj.  Striped 
candy  and  oranges,  and  you,  my  dear,  with  all  your 
sisters.  And  sandwiches  for  us  as  was  hungry  (that 
was  me),  and  lots  of  nice  times.  You  was  the  nicest, 
my  dear  baby,  because  I  couldn't  eat  you  up,  you 
know.  Mebbe  somebody  will  'member  us  this  time, 
and  mebbe  we'll  have  chicken  for  dinner.  We  did 
one  day.  Good-night,  my  baby,  go  right  to  sleep,'' 
and  she  closed  the  drawer  on  her  treasure,  and  herself 
drifted  off  to  dream-land. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Miss  Grimes  was  opposed 
to  merry-making  on  the  most  sacred  of  all  days,  she 
had  secretly  resolved  to  fix  up  the  dinner  a  bit,  and 
make  a  little  dessert  of  doughnuts,  though  they  were 
the  "  onwholesomest "  things. 

Well,  Christmas  did  actually  come  at  last,  though 
some  of  the  children  solemnly  affirmed  that  it  never 
would,  and  Priscilla  was  happy  with  the  rest.  For 
was  it  not  a  holiday  ?  And  was  not  Miss  Grimes 
that  minute  twisting  some  doughnuts  ?  Priscilla's 
heels  made  the  snow  fly  at  the  very  thought,  as  she 
trotted  up  to  "Mis'  Betts's"  to  return  a  drawing  of 
tea.  There  every  thing  was  lively.  A  delicious 
odor  of  dinner  mingled  with  evergreen  pervaded  the 
house.  Every  body  was  happy  and  in  a  hurry. 
Through  a  partly  open  door  she  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  tree,  with  every  one  of  the  four  bovs  tying  on 

«,'  */  «.          O 

candles  and  strings  of  pop-corn.  Didn't  Priscilla 
ache  to  be  there  ?  But  she  was  used  to  turning  her 


214:  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

back  on  other  people's  good  times,  so  she  comforted 
herself  with  the  thought  of  her  own  little  treat. 

As  soon  as  the  potatoes  were  pared  she  rushed  up 
stairs  to  tell  Belindy  all  about  it,  dropped  on  her 
knees,  and  pulled  out  the  drawer  of  her  little  bureau  ; 
then  she  sat  back  and  rubbed  her  eyes.  Could  it  be  ? 
Yes,  Belindy  was  gone.  She  took  every  thing  out. 
Turned  the  drawer  bottom  side  up.  Her  baby  was 
not  tucked  away  in  any  of  the  corners.  A  suspicion 
flashed  over  her  when  she  remembered  that  a  rag- 
man's cart  met  her  on  the  way  home. 

Acting  on  the  impulse  of  this  awful  suggestion, 
she  ran  down  the  stairs  and  bolted  into  the  kitchen. 

"Did  you  give  Belindy  to  that  man?"  she  de- 
manded, breathlessly. 

Miss  Grimes  turned  from  vehement  pokes  in  the 
stove  door,  and  looked  Priscilla  over  through  her 
steel  spectacles. 

"  That  clumsy  bundle  of  cotton  ? "  she  asked,  de- 
liberately. "  Yes,  child,  if  you  mean  that.  It  took  up 
room  in  your  drawer,  and  was  in  the  way.  You  are 
too  big  for  such  nonsense,  so  don't  be  foolish  over  it, 
but  get  ready  for  dinner." 

The  last  words  were  softened  down  toward  gentle- 
ness, for  even  Miss  Grimes  couldn't  stand  that  terri- 
bly tragic  face  with  the  twitching  lips. 

No  sooner  had  she  disappeared  down  the  cellar-way 
than  Priscilla  seized  the  opportunity  to  snatch  her 
hood  and  shawl  and  rush  out  of  the  house  to  the 


PRISCILLA  GRIMES'S  CHRISTMAS.  215 

woods  close  by.  In  a  sunny  clearing  was  a  long 
wood-pile,  up  which  she  climbed,  and,  leaning  her 
head  on  the  wooden  pillow,  she  lifted  up  her  voice 
and  wept  for  Belindy.  No  matter  now  that  it  was 
Christmas.  ISTo  matter  that  doughnuts  were  await- 
ing her.  The  only  thing  she  had  learned  to  love  was 
gone,  and  the  little  mother's  heart  was  broken.  Not 
very  long  did  she  wail  in  loneliness  before  a  distant 
tramp  was  heard.  Not  Miss  Grimes's,  for  the  new- 
comer was  whistling  cheerily.  It  did  sound  like  Tim 
Betts.  She  wouldn't  look  up,  any  way,  because  boys 
always  poked  fun.  He  had  stopped  to  chop  ever- 
green, whistling  in  time  with  the  hatchet. 

Soon  the  merry  whistle  ended  in  a  long,  surprised 
one,  and  Tim,  armed  with  his  weapon,  drew  up 
toward  the  wood-pile,  blinking  in  undisguised  aston- 
ishment at  a  bundle  of  plaid  shawl  and  brown  hood 
on  top.  "  Pris  Grimes,  as  I  live !  "What's  the 
matter  ? " 

"  Nothin',"  answered  a  hoarse,  smothered  voice 
under  the  shawl. 

"  Whew !  you'll  catch  your  death  out  here." 

"  Don't  care,"  sobbed  Priscilla. 

"  Yes,  you  do.  It's  Christmas,  you  know.  Come, 
now ;  why  aint  you  jolly  ? " 

The  question  was  put  so  coaxingly  that  Priscilla 
answered  "  Belindy,"  and  then  began  crying  harder 
than  ever. 

"  Belindy  ? "  answered  the  boy,  looking  dozed. 


216  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  My  doll  I've  had  ever  and  ever  so  long,  and  she 
give  it  to  the  rag-man." 

"  Did,  did  she  ?  I  call  that  confounded  mean. 
What  did  old  Grimes  do  it  for  ? " 

"  'Twas  in  the  way,  she  said,"  explained  Friscilla, 
plaintively. 

Tim  stood  and  meditated  a  full  minute  over  this 
calamity,  shook  his  h'st  in  the  direction  of  the 
offending  Grimes,  and  broke  out  with  :  "  Well,  I'll 
tell  you,  don't  you  cry  any  more  and  we'll  have  you 
up  to  our  Christmas  tree.  Just  leave  it  to  me.  She'll 
let  you.  These  greens  are  to  trim  with,  and  Tim 
Betts  must  be  trotting,  too,"  and  off  he  trotted,  leav- 
ing Priscilla  so  comforted  that  very  soon  she  wiped 
her  eyes  and  looked  after  her  good  angel,  who  was 
galloping  away  as  fast  as  a  heavy  basket  would  let 
him. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  even  a  Christmas 
tree  could  fill  Belindy's  place,  but  it  was  astonishing 
how  soothing  such  a  prospect  was.  In  spite  of  a 
broken  heart  Priscilla  did  her  duty  by  the  chicken 
pie  and  doughnuts,  and  as  for  Miss  Grimes,  she 
was  especially  considerate,  for  the  swollen  face  was 
eloquent. 

When  Tim  told  the  story  at  home  in  his  most 
touching  style,  with  many  threats  for  '•  old  Grimes," 
and  ended  up  with,  "We'll  have  her  here,  mayn't 
we,  mother  ? " 

Mrs.    Betts' s   motherly   heart  responded  at  onco ; 


PRISCILLA  GRIMES'S  CHRISTMAS.  217 

"  Yes,  Tiinmic,  wo  will.  Xow  I  know  what  my 
extra  dollar  is  for.  The  child  shall  have  one  merry 
Christmas  and  a  nice  new  Belinda.  Who  will  help 
me  dress  it?  "  Whereat  every  identical  boy  shouted, 
"  I ! "  and  followed  it  up  with  such  a  clapping  and 
stampede  that  the  chairman,  Mother  Betts,  had  to 
call  the  house  to  order. 

Sure  enough,  soon  after  dinner  there  was  a  hard 
knock  at  the  door,  and  Tim  Betts,  appeared  too  much 
out  of  breath  to  speak.  "  Mother  says — -she'd  like 
you — and  Priseilla — to  come  to  our  tree.  We'll  have 
something  for  her,"  he  whispered,  so  loud  that  Pris- 
eilla heard  him. 

"  Tell  your  mother  we'll  come,"  answered  Miss 
Grimes,  so  promptly,  that  Tim  was  spared  the  telling 
of  a  "few  things"  which  he  had  secretly  resolved 
upon  "if  she  showed  fight." 

That  tree  was  a  beauty,  all  lighted  up  with  candles 
and  beaming  faces ;  a  drum  had  lodged  on  the  top- 
most twigs.  A  music-box  tinkled  away  in  its  dark 
recesses ;  books  and  pictures,  candy  canes  and  bon- 
bons, hung  as  fruit  from  its  branches. 

As  for  Priseilla,  the  sight  of  a  blue-eyed,  real  wax 
doll,  all  her  very  own,  drove  every  lingering  thought 
of  the  rag-man  forever  out  of  her  head.  She  actually 
forgot  her  puoper  bringing  up,  and  laughed  and 
screamed  in  the  general  chorus. 

To  be  sure  the  noise  almost  crazed  Miss  Grimes, 
who  wasn't  used  to  boys,  and  who  firmly  believed 


218  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

that  all  things  should  be  done  decently  and  in  order. 
But  I  suspect  that  something  of  its  brightness  and 
beauty  crept  even  into  her  soul,  perhaps  to  bring  her 
nearer  childhood's  joys  and  sorrows,  so  that  never 
again  should  Priscilla  Grimes's  Christmas  be  cele- 
brated with  tears. 


ECCLESIASTES    XI,    1. 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.  1 


RS.  GREEXFIELD  was  undecided ;  a  frame  of 
mind  so  rarely  indulged  in  by  that  estimable 
lady  as  to  be  worthy  of  comment.  So  undecided 
that  staring  out  of  the  window,  against  which  the 
rain-drops  were  beating,  with  all  the  persistency  of  a 
fall  rain,  didn't  bring  an  answer.  Further  efforts  in 
the  line  of  brushing  out  her  water-proof  and  marshal- 
ing her  rubbers  didn't  help  the  matter. 

"  I  do  believe,1'  she  murmured,  thoughtfully,  "  if  it 
was  our  duty  to  clothe  those  children,  we  would  have 
pleasant  Wednesdays  so  the  ladies  could  get  out " — 
so  moved  by  this  bit  of  logic  that  she  started  to  hang 
her  water-proof  on  the  rack.  "  This  afternoon  would 
finish  baby's  flannel.  He  could  have  it  on  when 
John  comes  home,  and  I  could  indulge  in  a  little 
rest.  The  forenoon  has  been  hard."  And  she  sighed 
a  little  with  self-pity. 

So  the  cloak  was  put  back  on  its  hook  and  the  rub- 
bers consigned  to  the  boot-closet.  But  again  she 
hesitated  and  scowled  her  forehead  with  perplexity. 

"  There's  that  boy,  to  be  sure.  I'd  well-nigh  for- 
gotten him.  lie  can  come  again,  though.  Boys 


220  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

don't    mind    running.      I    said  —  what    was    it  ?  — 
that  I'd  surely  be  there.     And  promises  to  ragamuf- 
fins are  binding,  I  suppose,"  she  continued,  seizing 
her  wrappings  and  donning  them  quickly,  as  if  afraid 
to  wait  for  another  inspiration. 

"Nannie,  keep  baby  away  from  the  fire,  and  don't 
get  into  mischief,"  she  urged,  peeping  into  the 
sitting-room,  and  then  tripped  down  the  steps  and 
across  the  wet  pavements  toward  the  tall  spire.  The 
explanatory  fact  is,  that  the  Ladies'  Sewing  Society 
was  finding,  as  all  such  societies  do,  that  the  hard 
work  came  to  a  few  who  labored  under  the  most 
trying  discouragements.  Discouragements  of  stony 
ground  and  thorns  and  fowls  of  the  air,  with  only  a 
far-off  glimpse  at  the  hundred-fold. 

'"  This  work  takes  grit  and  faith,"  the  president 
was  saying  to  herself  as  the  heavy  door  closed  behind 
her  and  showed  a  deserted  parlor.  She  gave  just  a 
little  shiver  as  her  eye  took  in  the  stove,  destitute  of 
fire. 

"  Never  mind,  I  know  how,"  said  the  worthy 
officer,  taking  off  her  wet  clothing  and  producing  a 
basket  of  kindling.  By  dint  of  blowing  and  coaxing, 
quite  a  blaze  appeared,  which  became  a  crackle,  then 
a  roar.  Then  a  bundle  of  black  cloth  (one  of  John's 
old  coats  ripped  up  and  washed)  was  brought  to  light, 
and  some  patterns  and  a  pair  of  shears.  Soon  the 
shears  began  to  clip  in  a  cheerful  sort  of  way,  and  the 
little  president  found  herself  humming  a  strain  from 


ECCLESIASTES    XI,    1.  221 

"  Little  Barefoot."  But  this  was  interrupted  by  a 
tap  so  faint  that  she  only  stopped  and  listened.  Next 
time  louder.  "  Come  in,"  and  in  came  a  rasped, 

'  OcD          * 

pinch-faced  little  fellow,  looking  quite  relieved  that 
there  should  be  only  one  pair  of  eyes  instead  of  a 
roomful  to  look  him  over. 

"  Shut  the  door,  please.  I  guess  you  can  come 
to  the  fire  and  get  warm  while  I  baste  these 
seams." 

So  he  sidled  up  to  a  chair  near  the  pleasing 
warmth. 

"  What  shall  I  call  you  ? " 

"  Jimmy  Brown,  mum,"  very  faint. 

"  Well,  Jimmy,  I'm  ready  to  put  this  on  now," 
trying  to  say  it  so  heartily  that  he  wouldn't  know  she 
felt  reluctant  about  getting  too  near  the  bundle  of 
rags. 

lie  had  really  washed  his  hands  and  face  ;  at  least 
removed  one  layer,  for  the  place  of  leaving  off  was 
plainly  visible.  This  was  encouraging.  He  stood 
very  patiently  under  the  pattings  and  smoothings 
and  pull  ings. 

"  That  fits  well,  real  well,  Jimmy.  You  see  the 
ladies  are  not  here,  so  I  must  take  this  home  and 
finish  it.  I'll  try  and  have  it  ready  for  you  Saturday 
night.  And  then  we  shall  expect  to  see  you  at  Sun- 
day-school every  Sunday  after  this.  You'll  be  in 
your  place  every  time,  wont  you,  Jimmy  ? " 

"  Yes'm." 


222  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  Of  course  you  will.  And  now  I  guess  we  had 
better  go.  Good-bye  until  Saturday  night." 

That  evening  at  home,  after  the  shades  were 
drawn  and  baby  was  quietly  sleeping,  Mrs.  Greenfield 
and  her  work-basket  were  important  figures  in  the 
center-table  group. 

"What  you  building?"  asked  Mr.  Greenfield, 
peering  over  the  top  of  his  evening  paper. 

She  held  it  up. 

«  Coat  for  Jimmy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  not  our  Jimmy,  though." 

"  A  heathen  Jimmy,  eh  ! ' 

;<  "Well,  yes,  a  sort  of  heathen,  I  suppose,"  she 
answered,  reluctantly. 

"  How  do  you  think  it'll  look  after  a  few  days  of 
Pike  Avenue  ? "  he  asked,  eying  the  neat  button- 
holes and  new  braid  with  the  least  bit  of  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye. 

"  O,  John,  don't,"  pleaded  a  voice  from  the  work- 
basket.  "  We  need  every  bit  of  encouragement  you 
can  give  us,  and  not  a  bit  of  wet-blanket.  Wont  it 
help  civilize  him  to  have  things  like  civilized  boys, 
and  how  could  he  learn  to  take  care  of  neat  clothes 
when  he's  never  had  them  ? " 

"  True." 

"  John,  I  believe  you're  laughing  behind  your 
paper,"  she  continued,  in  a  tone  of  solemn  conviction, 
rolling  her  eyes  toward  the  "  Daily  Times,"  over  the 
top  of  which  a  glimpse  of  forehead  appeared. 


ECCLESIASTES  xi,  1.  223 

"Not  at  all,  my  dear.  I'm  only  thinking — 
hem !— " 

"  What?"  demanded  Mrs.  Greenfield. 

"  That  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  our  pawn-shops 
increased  its  line  of  men's  and  boy's  clothing  ere 
long." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it  ? "  she  asked,  sadly,  rock- 
ing gently  to  and  fro  while  the  button-holes  grew. 

"  It's  my  conviction,  Mollie.  Of  course,  this  Jim- 
my may  be  quite  a  saint.  We'll  give  him  the  benefit 
of  the  doubt,  any  way.  But  Pike  Avenue  don't  raise 
many  such.  The  soil  isn't  favorable.  Hallo !  wheat's 
going  up  ! " 

As  for  Mrs.  Greenfield,  she  didn't  care  half  as 
much  about  inanimate  wheat  as  friendless  boys  and 
the  problem  connected  with  them. 

"  It  is  hard  to  know  how  much  effort  is  thrown 
away  on  these  boys,"  she  ventured,  at  last,  speaking 
her  thoughts  half-aloud.  "  Here's  our  own  Jimmy. 
Put  him  down  on  Pike  Avenue,  without  any  mother 
and  a  drunken  father  and  bad  associations.  Wouldn't 
it  help  him  toward  the  right  to  have  somebody  care 
enough  for  him  to  make  him  a  nice  coat,  just  as  nice 
as  any  body  has  ?  " — shaking  it  out  for  proof — "even 
if  it  went  to  the  -  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  its  go- 
ing to  the  pawn-shop.  I  don't  believe  it  will,"  she 
added,  positively,  which  assertion  John  wouldn't  have 
contradicted  for  the  world  ;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  he 
was  substituting  in  the  place  of  the  heathen  Jimmy 


224  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

the  little  fellow  who  that  minute  was  nodding  over 
his  slate,  while  the  chubby  hand  which  grasped  the 
pencil  moved  sleepily.  "  What  a  notion  !  Put  him 
clown  on  Pike,  away  from  home,  love,  and  care  ? 
Awful ! "  and  a  shudder  accompanied  the  thought. 
But  he  didn't  say  a  word  of  this,  only  stared  hard  at 
stock  reports,  and  then  dropped  his  paper  and  picked 
up  the  drowsy  little  fellow,  clasping  him  O  so  tight ! 

"  Mollie,  this  little  chap's  almost  asleep.  Give 
mamma  a  bear-hug,  and  off  we  go,"  he  said,  gently 
holding  him  up  for  a  maternal  "  good-night."  Then 
he  was  marched  away  and  tucked  up  so  very  snug. 
And  when  John  came  back  (would  you  believe  it?) 
he  examined  the  little  coat  with  new  interest  and  a 
careless  question  about  how  that  little  fellow  was  to 
be  shod. 

"Well,  the  coat  was  made,  and  meantime  the  presi- 
dent had  presented  her  case  before  the  ladies  and  col- 
lected quite  an  outfit  (John  contributed  the  boots), 
which  she  had  spread  out  on  her  sofa  and  was  view- 
ing with  satisfaction  on  that  Saturday  night,  when  a 
thump  at  the  door  announced  the  hero.  Mrs.  Green- 
field possessed  that  wisdom  which  mixes  advice  with 
substantial,  so  the  kindly  words  were  re-enforced  wTith 
apples,  offered  timidly  by  the  children,  who  stared 
with  open-eyed  wonder  to  see  them  disappear. 

Several  times  during  the  next  Sunday-morning 
service  Mrs.  Greenfield  was  guilty  of  turning  her 
head,  especially  when  some  squeaky  steps  stopped  near 


ECCLESIASTES  xi,  1.  225 

the  door.  "He'll  get  into  it  gradually.  Can't  begin 
with  more  than  Sunday-school,  I  suppose,"  she  ex- 
plained to  herself. 

In  Sunday-school  the  rows  of  children  were  care- 
fully scanned  by  the  president,  the  teacher  of  the 
mission-class,  who  had  been  informed  what  to  expect, 
and  also  the  superintendent,  who  was  none  other  than 
John,  but — no  heathen  Jimmy  appeared. 

Now  be  it  known  that  Mr.  Greenfield  was  as  much 
interested  in  the  case  as  any  body,  with  a  general  sort 
of  interest  becoming  a  student  of  law-books  and 
human  nature.  John  was  a  good  man,  and  I  can't 
tell  you  how  much  he  loved  Mollie ;  but  he  was 
human,  too,  and  couldn't  forbear  the  dinner-table 
remark:  "Hum,  hum!  Coat  fitted  snug,  eh,  Mol- 
lie?" 

Mollie's  eyes  meant  a  protest  while  she  answered 
with  a  positiveness  not  best  to  question :  "  Something 
kept  him  home,  may  be.  I  believe  in  honest  eyes, 
and  lie  had  them.  Any  way,  I  wont  believe  a  word 
against  him  until  T  know  it  for  myself.  It's  a  great 
deal  better  to  be  away  the  first  Sunday  and  present 
afterward,  than  the  other  way,  and  you  know  all  who 
disappointed  us  came  the  first  Sunday." 

If  John  was  a  lawyer,  his  wife  was  a  better  one, 
wasn't  she?  Perhaps  John  thought  so.  Any  way, 
he  was  silenced.  Yes ;  and  to  make  the  case  worse 
for  Mrs.  Lawyer,  heathen  Jimmy  didn't  come  the 
next  Sunday,  nor  the  next,  nor  the —  Well,  the 
15 


226  ANNALS    OF   THE   ROUND    TABLE. 

sad  fact  is  that  weeks  and  months  passed  on  and 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  was  seen  of  Jimmy. 

What  do  you  suppose  she  said  then  when  the  case 
was  brought  up  for  the  last  time  ?  "  It  does  look 
like  effort  thrown  away.  I  can't  know  any  thing 
about  it,  but,  John,  I  can't  help  believing  that  when 
we  do  what  seems  to  be  duty,  that  work  is  somehow 
taken  care  of,  and  good  comes  of  it  even  if  we  don't 
know  it." 

"  That  kind  of  evidence  would  hardly  be  received 
in  court,  my  dear,"  answered  John,  wisely.  "But 
never  mind.  Every  body  has  their  share  of  imposi- 
tion. When  the  world  is  what  your  dear  innocent 
heart  believes  it  to  be,  we'll  have  a  millennium,"  he 
continued,  passing  in  his  verdict. 

Yes ;  a  year  passed,  which  grew  into  two  and  three 
and  four,  and  this  little  circumstance  had  been  en- 
tirely forgotten,  or  at  best  had  dwindled  into  insignif- 
icance in  the  busy  whirl  of  every  day.  For  now  the 
black  war  cloud,  which  began  as  the  size  of  a  man's 
hand,  was  spreading  over  our  nntion's  horizon  with 
alarming  rapidity.  May  be  you  remember  it.  IIow 
men  grew  grave  and  anxious,  and  women  pale  and 
tearful.  These  times  came  to  our  little  household  as 
they  came  to  yours,  may  be.  Mollie  grew  apprehen- 
sive one  noon,  when  John  came  home  graver  and 
more  occupied  than  ever.  At  length,  amid  the  chat- 
ter of  the  children  who  had  caught  the  spirit  and 
were  talking  of  flags  and  drums,  John  salted  instead 


ECCLESIASTES  xi,  1.  227 

of  sweetening  his  coffee,  and  sipped  away  with  sev- 
eral portentous  "  hems  !  " 

"  Do  you  know  there's  a  call  for  more  volun- 
teers?" 

"N-o,"  answered  Mollie,  taking  baby  up  in  her 
lap  to  hide  the  twitching  of  her  lips. 

"  And — Mollie,  I  feel  as  if  I  can't  hang  back  any 
longer.  At  first,  you  know,  I  hesitated  because 
of  you  and  the  children,  but  I  —  I  can't  any  longer. 
I  know,"  he  added,  not  daring  to  look  at  her,  "  that 
you'll  want  me  to.  You've  said  the  same  several 
times,  if  my  memory  serves  me  right,"  and  he  tried 
to  smile,  but  'twas  a  failure. 

"  Yes,  I  said  so ;  but  it  was  when  I  thought  war 
was  a  long  way  off,"  pleaded  Mollie.  "  How  long 
will  it  last  ? "  she  asked,  clearing  her  throat,  for  her 
voice  would  tremble. 

"  Xot  long  if  our  men  are  true.  It's  wortk  work- 
ing for,  and  you're  willing?"  he  asked,  looking 
straight  at  Jimmy,  who  had  crowded  up  and  wa8 
staring  into  his  father's  face. 

"  Jimmy,  can  you  run  the  house  ?  " 

"  I'd  rather  go  to  the  war.  Those  that  don't  fight 
the  Rebs  are  cowards,"  said  Jimmy,  with  spirit. 

"  Ha !  ha !  Hear  that,  Mollie  ?  A  young  recruit. 
Try  it  at  home,  my  son,  and  we'll  see  about  the  Rebs 
by  and  by." 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  about  the  getting 
ready  and  about  the  day  when  John  marched  away 


ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

sad  fact  is  that  weeks  and  months  passed  on  and 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  was  seen  of  Jimmy. 

What  do  you  suppose  she  said  then  when  the  case 
was  brought  up  for  the  last  time?  "It  does  look 
like  effort  thrown  away.  I  can't  know  any  thing 
about  it,  but,  John,  I  can't  help  believing  that  when 
we  do  what  seems  to  be  duty,  that  work  is  somehow 
taken  care  of,  and  good  comes  of  it  even  if  we  don't 
know  it." 

"  That  kind  of  evidence  would  hardly  be  received 
in  court,  my  dear,"  answered  John,  wisely.  "But 
never  mind.  Every  body  has  their  share  of  imposi- 
tion. When  the  world  is  what  your  dear  innocent 
heart  believes  it  to  be,  we'll  have  a  millennium,"  he 
continued,  passing  in  his  verdict. 

Yes ;  a  year  passed,  which  grew  into  two  and  three 
and  four,  and  this  little  circumstance  had  been  en- 
tirely forgotten,  or  at  best  had  dwindled  into  insignif- 
icance in  the  busy  whirl  of  every  day.  For  now  the 
black  war  cloud,  which  began  as  the  size  of  a  man's 
hand,  was  spreading  over  our  nation's  horizon  with 
alarming  rapidity.  May  be  you  remember  it.  How 
men  grew  grave  and  anxious,  and  women  pale  and 
tearful.  These  times  came  to  our  little  household  as 
they  came  to  yours,  may  be.  Mollie  grew  apprehen- 
sive one  noon,  when  John  came  home  graver  and 
more  occupied  than  ever.  At  length,  amid  the  chat- 
ter of  the  children  who  had  caught  the  spirit  and 
were  talking  of  flags  and  drums,  John  salted  instead 


ECCLESIASTES  xi,  1.  227 

of  sweetening  his  coffee,  and  sipped  away  with  sev- 
eral portentous  "  hems  !  " 

"  Do  you  know  there's  a  call  for  more  volun- 
teers?'1 

"N-o,"  answered  Mollie,  taking  baby  up  in  her 
lap  to  hide  the  twitching  of  her  lips. 

"  And — Mollie,  I  feel  as  if  I  can't  hang  back  any 
longer.  At  first,  you  know,  I  hesitated  because 
of  you  and  the  children,  but  I  —  I  can't  any  longer. 
I  know,"  he  added,  not  daring  to  look  at  her,  u  that 
you'll  want  me  to.  You've  said  the  same  several 
times,  if  my  memory  serves  me  right,"  arid  he  tried 
to  smile,  but  'twas  a  failure. 

"  Yes,  I  said  so ;  but  it  was  when  I  thought  war 
was  a  long  way  off,"  pleaded  Mollie.  "  How  long 
will  it  last  ? "  she  asked,  clearing  her  throat,  for  her 
voice  would  tremble. 

"  Not  long  if  our  men  are  true.  It's  wortk  work- 
ing for,  and  you're  willing  ? "  he  asked,  looking 
straight  at  Jimmy,  who  had  crowded  up  and  was 
staring  into  his  father's  face. 

"  Jimmy,  can  you  run  the  house  ? " 

"  I'd  rather  go  to  the  war.  Those  that  don't  fight 
the  Rebs  are  cowards,"  said  Jimmy,  with  spirit. 

"  Ha !  ha  !  Hear  that,  Mollie  ?  A  young  recruit. 
Try  it  at  home,  my  son,  and  we'll  see  about  the  Rebs 
by  and  by." 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  about  the  getting 
ready  and  about  the  day  when  John  marched  away 


230  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

tain  Greenfield  thought  ye  mightn't  know.  I'll  be 
'round  'fore  we  git  there,"  he  added,  turning  away. 

"  O,  I'm  so  glad,"  answered  Molly,  experiencing  a 
relief  so  great  that  her  voice  was  gone.  "  Please 
don't  go  away.  Is  he — is  he  worse  ?  "  the  last  end- 
ing in  a  husky  whisper. 

"  No,  mum.  Better'n  they  thought  at  fust.  He 
said,  sez  he,  '  Tell  her  I'm  all  right.' " 

Saying  this  he  moved  away  on  pretense  of  letting 
some  one  pass.  Truth  was  he  couldn't  stand  Mollie's 
pale  face  and  beseeching  inquiries.  But  he  appeared 
at  the  station,  and  no  knight  was  ever  more  chival- 
rous, even  to  leading  the  horse  which  Molly,  after 
some  urging,  consented  to  ride.  The  first  day  there 
were  so  many  questions  and  answers,  and  doctor's  in- 
junctions on  the  same,  that  the  escort,  in  spite  of 
being  highly  appreciated,  was  quite  forgotten. 

"  That  reminds  me,  John,  who  is  that  fellow  you 
sent  to  meet  me  ?  " 

"  You  connected,  did  you  ?  Why,  he's  my  best 
friend.  For  some  unaccountable  reason  that  fellow 
serves  me  like  a  hero.  You'll  see  him  often  enough, 

O      / 

and  find  him  invaluable,  too.  The  night  I  was  hurt, 
Mollie,  he  tore  off  his  coat  and  corded  my  arm. 
Then  he  took  lint  out  of  one  pocket  and  brandy  out 
of  the  other  and  kept  me  conscious  until  the  surgeon 
got  around.  I  sleep  imder  his  blanket  and  feed  off 
from  his  board,  so  to  speak." 

"  Bless  him !      Perhaps  he   has  saved   your   life. 


ECCLESIASTES    XI,    1.  231 

We'll  never  forget  it,  will  we,  John  ? "  asked  Mollie, 
tearful  with  gratitude.  "  What's  his  name  ?  " 

"  He  bears  the  cognomen  of  Brown  prefixed  by 
James.  James  Brown,  you  see.  Sometimes  abbre- 
viated to  Jim.  Nothing  classical  about  it." 

"  John,  you're  getting  better."  And  Mollie  smiled 
at  this  first  pleasantry  from  pale  pinched  lips. 

"  How  can  I  help  it  ?  "  he  answered,  grasping  the 
hand  which  lay  on  the  army  blanket.  "  Here's  my 
body-guard.  Good-morning,  sir.  Fresh  eggs?  That's 
good.  [Jim  had  tapped  his  pocket  significantly.] 
Waiting  for  order  ?  Nothing  but  this  lady's  message. 
Just  see  that  it  goes.  That's  all  this  morning." 

But  Jim  seemed  loath  to  go. 

"  I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  kindness  to  me 
and  mine,"  added  Mrs.  Greenfield,  as  he  turned  bash- 
fully to  her. 

" '  Snothin,'  "  he  mumbled,  rummaging  his  pockets. 
"  I  got  this.  Thought  I'd  tell  ye."  And  he  held  up 
Mollie's  comfort  bag,  soiled,  to  be  sure,  but  recog- 
nizable. 

"  O,  you  got  it,  and  you  knew  it  was  from  me  ? " 
asked  Mollie,  in  surprise,  examining  the  bag  with  a 
new  interest. 

"Why,  Jim,  you  were  favored.  It's  better  than 
mine.  Why  didn't  you  let  me  see.it?"  demanded 
Mr.  Greenfield,  examining  it  in  his  turn. 

"  Thought  ye'd  keep  it,"  explained  Jim,  winking 
knowingly. 


232  ANNALS  OF  THE  HOUND  TABLE. 

"  Great  danger  along  that  line,"  laughed  the  cap- 
tain, lingering  the  letter. 

"An'  that  aint  all,"  continued  Jim,  turning  to  Mrs. 
Greenfield.  "Ye  giv'  me  a  suit  o'  clothes  some  year 
ago.  I  never  wore  'em,  but  I  never  f urgot  it  of  ye." 

"  O — you're  the  Jimmy,  Jimmy  Brown  !  "  shouted 
Mrs.  Greenfield,  clapping  her  hands  and  looking  be- 
wildered. 

"  Yes,  mum." 

"  O,  O  !  John,  you  remember.  Now  I  shall  excite 
you.  Isn't  it  the  strangest  coincidence  you  ever 
heard  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  John,  quietly,  getting  excited  in 
spite  of  himself. 

"  And  why  did  we  never  see  you  again  ? "  she 
asked,  trying  to  calm  herself  by  feeling  of  her  hus- 
band's pulse. 

"  Eun  away  the  next  week.  Clothes  was  stole  that 
night."  Here  Jimmy  frowned  as  if  the  subject  were 
unpleasant.  "  Time  fur  the  message.  Mornin'  to 

ye." 

Off  he  went,  while  Mollie  gazed  from  his  retreat- 
ing figure  to  her  husband  with  whole  volumes  in  her 
eyes. 

"Quite  an  episode,"  said  John,  lightly. 

"And  here  I  am  forgetting  your  breakfast.     Xow 

o  o    «/ 

go  asleep,  and  don't  get  to  thinking."  As  Mr.  Green- 
field predicted,  during  the  long,  weary  convalescence, 
surrounded  by  discomforts,  Jimmy  was  invaluable. 


ECCLESIASTES  xi,  1.  233 

"Homesick?"  queried  Mr.  Greenfield,  one  day,  as 
Mollie  dropped  the  blue  soldier  overcoat  and  gazed 
thoughtfully  out  of  the  window  at  the  rows  of  army 
tents. 

"  Xot  a  bit.  I  was  thinking  about  Nannie's  verse. 
It  is  so  true,  John  :  '  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters, 
and  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days.'  ' 

"  Ah  !  yes  ;  you  mean  Jimmy.  To  really  make  it 
worthy  of  record,  my  dear,  Jimmy  should  have 
turned  out  a  college  president  or  a  Vanderbilt  rail- 
roader, instead  of  a  faithful  soldier-boy  murdering  the 
king's  English  in  every  sentence." 

"  I'm  satisfied,"  answered  Mollie,  softly,  glancing 
at  the  arm-bandage  for  proof  positive. 

"Even  if  he  can't  leave  half  a  million  to  your  chil- 
dren, or  endow  a  university  with  your  name.  O, 
pshaw  !  women  have  no  ambition." 

To  tell  all  included  in  the  "  after  many  days  " 
would  take  too  long.  When  at  length  one  cot  in  the 
hospital  was  vacated,  and  its  occupant  was  granted  a 
furlough,  Jimmy  carried  them  to  the  depot.  He  it 
was  who  found  a  comfortable  seat  and  attended  to 
the  baggage. 

"Jimmy,  I  never  can  thank  you  enough,"  said 
Mollie,  earnestly,  clasping  both  her  hands  over  his 
big  rough  one.  "  The  welcome  I  wrote  about  will  be 
enlarged  a  hundred-fold  now." 

"  'Snothin',"  urged  Jim,  winking  vigorously.  "  I 
never  wore  them  things,  but  you's  good  to  me  when 


234:  ANNALS  or  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

nobody  was,  and  I  never  furgot  it  of  ye.     Good-bye 
to  yees  both." 

And  off  lie  strode,  making  an  angular  gesture  in 
response  to  Mollie's  handkerchief  salute  as  the  train 
pulled  out  of  the  little  station  that  spring  morning 
of  1864.  And  doesn't  this  bring  us  to  Mollie's 
answer  of  so  long  ago  —  "  When  we  do  what  seems 
to  be  duty,  that  work  is  somehow  taken  care  of,  and 
good  conies  of  it,  even  if  we  don't  know  it  ?  " 


ONE  BEAM.  235 


ONE  BEAM, 

RADIATIONS  AND  REFLECTIONS. 


FT1HE  room  was  not  large  nor  elegantly  furnished, 
-I  but  it  was  pleasant  and  cheery  with  its  rag  carpet 
and  plain  furniture.  Mrs.  Gleason  dropped  into  her 
lap  the  New  York  "Evening  Post,"  just  read,  and  then 
began  folding  it,  rocking  faster  and  folding  tighter 
as  her  thoughts  came  faster. 

"  I  wonder,"  she  began,  stopping  suddenly,  "  if  1 
have  something  to  do  in  this.  It  came  to  me  so 
direct.  Strange,  isn't  it,  that  homeless,  neglected 
children  always  drift  to  our  door?'3 

And  then  the  kindly  mother  face  grew  sober  as  she 
looked  out  from  the  window  away  to  the  cemetery 
where  three  little  mounds  were  dimly  outlined  by 
the  afternoon  sunshine.  "  For  this  reason,  perhaps," 
brushing  away  her  tears,  "  and  He  knows  best."  And 
then  her  hands  lay  quietly  in  her  lap,  but  only  for  a 
moment,  when  she  took  up  the  paper  again. 

"  But  how  ? "  she  murmured  earnestly,  almost  anx- 
iously. "Well,  I've  learned  one  thing;  if  the  Lord 
has  something  for  me  to  do,  he  always  shows  me 
how."  And  the  wrinkles  vanished. 

"  Yes,  I'll  talk  it  over  with  Albert." 


230  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

Seated  at  the  tea-table  that  night,  Mrs.  Gleason 
broached  the  subject  which  was  so  possessing  her 
mind  :  "Albert,  have  you  heard  what  kind  people  of 
New  York  are  trying  to  do  for  the  poor  children  ?  I 
mean  the  summer-vacation  plan." 

Mr.  Gleason  had  looked  up  quesiioningly. 

"  Seems  to  me  I  have  heard  something,"  lie  an- 
swered, slowly. 

"  So  had  I,  a  very  little,  but  never  understood  it 
until  to-day.  I  read  the  New  York  "Evening  Post'' 
— came  around  that  bundle — and  somehow  I  did  get 
wonderfully  interested,  and  I — well,  the  result  of  my 
thinking  was,  that  we  can  do  something  here  in  our 
little  city." 

"  Yes,  with  money,  of  course,"  answered  Mr.  G., 
significantly. 

"  Yes ;  and  it's  all  the  Lord's  money.  Isn't  it 
right  that  it  should  be  used  for  the  Lord's  little 
ones  ?  " 

"  O,  yes,  yes — of  course.  I  am  silent  as  always.  I 
suppose  you  want  to  get  money  and  send  on  to  these 
men  who  put  it  in  the  fund  and  export  all  the  little 
humanity  they  can." 

"  As  long  as  the  money  lasts  and  they  can  find 
farmers  to  take  them  in,"  added  Mrs.  G.  "  Just 
think  of  it,  Albert,  what  a  change  for  little  pinched, 
starving  tenement  children,  milk  and  wholesome  food 
and  grass  and  flowers,  and  animals  to  be  fed  and 
petted,  and  loving  care  !  " 


OXE  BEAM.  237 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  see,"  nodded  Mr.  G.,  pushing  back 
from  the  table.  "But  just  think  of  the  wealth  of 
New  York,  and  you — it  strikes  me  that  you  have 
shouldered  all  the  asylums  and  associations  you  can 
carry." 

'•  We  can't  do  much,  I  know,"  and  she  sighed  just 
a  little. 

"  If  we  were  only  rich,  now !  "  said  Mr.  Gleason, 
striking  the  table  for  emphasis. 

"  I  suppose  we  couldn't  be  trusted  with  more," 
she  answered,  smiling. 

"But  we  can  do  a  little,  can't  we?"  she  began, 
earnestly.  "  And  then,  these  people  who  have  the 
money  have  kind  hearts  and  I  believe  will  always  re- 
spond if  you  let  them  feel  that  it  is  their  work.  For 
this  scheme  there  is — Miss  Hayden." 

"That  butterfly?" 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  kindly.  "  But,  I  tell  you, 
Albert,  I  believe  that  these  wealthy,  petted  girls  are 
butterflies  more  because  they  haven't  any  thing  else 
to  do  than  because  they  like  it." 

"  Perhaps  that's  so,"  he  said,  running  his  fingers 
through  his  hair. 

As  Mrs.  Gleason  hurried  about  her  little  kitchen 
that  night  with  her  tea-dishes,  her  thoughts  became 
such  busy  ones.  And  when  at  last,  in  her  planning, 
she  saw  the  little  waifs  actually  reveling  in  the  de- 
lights of  country  home-life,  the  smile  broadened  on 
the  kindly  features  and  at  last  broke  out  in  a  song, 


238  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

old-fashioned  and  full  of  quavers  to  be  sure,  but  a 
strain  of  melody  running  through  it,  the  melody  that 
brightens  other  hearts  and  lives. 

In  her  own  elegant  room  in  the  Hayden  home, 
Laura  Hayden  was  lounging.  "Going  to-night?" 
queried  a  young  lady  friend,  dropping  into  a  chair 
near  her. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  yawning.  "  The  truth  is,  I'm  sick 
of  parties  and  balls  and  dresses,  and  the  people,  O 
horrors  !  are  flatter  than  all  the  rest." 

"  You're  tired  out ;  that's  the  matter.  Haven't 
slept  enough  lately." 

"I  don't  do  any  thing  but  sleep  and  dress.  Mat, 
society  is  a  cheat.  Unless  you  can  outdo  somebody 
there  isn't  any  fun.  It's  made  up  of  flattery  and 
nonsense.  Bah ! " 

"  O  pshaw !  "  laughed  her  friend,  for  she  had  heard 
her  talk  like  this  before,  and  then  plunge  into  gayety 
deeper  than  ever.  But  just  here  a  servant  tapped, 
announcing  a  caller. 

"  Didn't  send  up  a  card  ?  "What  sort  of  a  woman, 
Katy  ?"  queried  Laura,  rising  wearily. 

"  Plain  lookin'.     A  wantin'  help,  likely." 

"  Fiddlesticks  ! "  frowned  Laura.  "  Mat,  can  you 
amuse  yourself  with  that  book?  I'll  dispatch  her 
soon  as  possible." 

Laura  didn't  appear  very  amiable  as  she  advanced 
to  meet  her  unwelcome  visitor.  "  Mrs.  Gleason,  O 
yes,  I  remember,"  she  said,  giving  her  hand  a  little 


ONE  BEAM.  239 

stiffly.  "You  are  the  lady  my  brother  Willie  sent 
for  when  he  broke  his  arm  near  your  house.  Please 
be  seated." 

Mrs.  Gleason  remembered  it  with  a  nod  and  an  in- 
quiry for  "Willie.  "  I  trust  I  don't  intrude,"  she  be- 
gan, quietly.  "But  I  have  a  cause  very  near  my 
heart,  and  I  have  been  thinking  that  if  only  our  dear 
young  people  would  get  interested  it  would  succeed, 
and  then  I  thought  of  you  as  the  one  to  carry  it 
through.  May  I  tell  you  of  it  ? " 

"  Certainly,"  assented  Laura,  wonderingly,  almost 
afraid  she  was  about  to  be  bored. 

And  so  Mrs.  Gleason  recited  the  simple  annals  of 
the  "  Fresh  Air  Charity,"  warming  with  her  subject 
as  her  listener  grew  more  intent  until,  with  uncon- 
scious eloquence,  her  voice  grew  tremulous  and  the 
tears  shone  in  her  mother-eyes  and  were  reflected  in 
her  listener's. 

"  It's  just  beautiful ! "  she  exclaimed,  clapping  her 
hands  with  enthusiasm.  "  Kow,  what  shall  I  do  ? " 

"  Probably  you  will  have  better  plans  for  money 
raising,  but  I  had  thought  of  a  lawn  festival.  So 
many  of  your  young  friends  are  musicians.  Music 
and  supper  on  a  well-lighted  lawn  would  attract, 
wouldn't  it  ?" 

"  Just  the  thing  on  our  lawn.  I  can  get  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  all  we  want." 

"  I  will  leave  it  with  you,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Gleason, 
a  glad  smile  on  her  face  as  she  rose  to  go. 


240  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  On  the  condition  that  you  must  tell  me  how,  and 
I  shall  want  ever  so  much  advice.  I'm  not  tit  for 
it — never  did  any  work  in  my  life,"  she  added. 

"  Ability  conies  with  opportunity,  my  dear.  I 
knew  you  had  it  in  you  all  the  while.  Shall  be  only 
too  glad  to  see  you  any  time."  And  they  said  good- 
bye over  a  very  cordial  hand-shake. 

"  O  Mat,"  exclaimed  Laura,  bounding  up  the 
stairs ;  "  I  have  some  work  for  you  !  a  capital  plan  ! " 
And  so  the  story  was  again  rehearsed,  Mat  growing 
more  and  more  surprised  and  interested. 

"  You  are  the  strangest  girl — yawning  one  minute, 
boiling  over  with  plans  the  next." 

"  Never  mind.  You  must  help  ever  so  much,  and 
we'll  send  this  money  in  Mrs.  Gleason's  name.  She 
is  just  lovely,  Mat." 

Tims  the  leaven  began  working.  That  noon  Mayor 
Hayden  found  himself  button-holed  by  his  pretty 
daughter  until  his  consent  was  given  to  eveiy  thing. 
Of  course,  he  laughed  a  little.  "  President  of  a 
female  woman's  club,  eh  ?  O,  well,  go  ahead  with 
your  harmless  fun."  And  he  went  back  to  his  news- 
paper thinking  more  kindly  of  the  enterprise  than 
any  body,  even  himself,  suspected. 

Passing  down  Main  Street,  in  a  street  car,  a  few 
days  later,  one  might  have  overheard  two  young, 
well-dressed  misses  chattering  like  a  couple  of  mag- 
pieo  :  "  'Twill  be  a  great  deal  more  jolly  than  a  party. 
Laura  says  we  are  to  have  the  flower-booth." 


ONE  BEAM.  241 

"  And  just  think  of  it !  Isn't  it  fun  that  some 
poor  little  children  will  have  a  vacation  just  because 
we  help  them  ?  Have  you  heard  about  Aunt  Myra  ? 
Why,  she  lias  consented  to  take  a  couple.  Laura 
Hayden  went  to  see  her  about  it." 

"  And  we'll  go  to  see  them,  wont  we  ?  This  is 
my  street.  By-by." 

To  be  sure,  before  all  the  work  was  done,  Papa 
Hayden  frowned  a  little  over  so  much  running,  and 
John  declared  the  lawn  would  be  ruined,  while  some 
people  listened  to  her  enthusiastic  appeals,  with  the 
trite  remark  that  they  believed  charity  should  begin 
at  home.  But  Mrs.  Gleason  assured  Laura  that 
slight  discouragements  only  gave  workers  more  zeal 
and  an  enterprise  greater  success. 

Mayor  Hayden's  lawn  never  looked  more  beautiful. 
Chinese  lanterns,  white  tables  among  green  shrub- 
bery, music,  and  bevies  of  young  people,  made  a 
merry  scene.  Every  body  was  wondering  at  Laura 
Hayden's  energy  and  executive  ability.  "  "Who 
would  have  dreamed  it  1 "  was  \vhispered  about. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gleason  were  there,  modestly  occupy- 
ing a  quiet  corner,  enjoying  it  very  much.  "  O, 
here  you  are,"  said  Laura,  coming  upon  them.  "  I've 
been  looking  for  you.  Do  you  know,  you  must 
make  a  speech  ? "  she  said,  slipping  her  pink  muslin 
arm  through  Mrs.  Gleason 's. 

"  A  speech ! "  and  Mrs.  Gleason  grew  alarmed  at 

once.     "  My  dear,  I  never  made  one  in  my  life." 
16 


242  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

"  Yes,  you  have — made  one  that  first  day.  Just 
get  up  and  tell  the  people  about  it  as  you  did  me. 
You  see  there  are  some  here,  papa's  friends,  who  will 
give  us  something  if  you — can  coax  them  a  trifle." 

"  But  " — for  already  Laura  was  leading  her  to  the 
stone  steps — "  I  haven't  made  any  preparation." 

"That  would  spoil  it.  Papa,"  (stopping  him), 
"  this  is  Mrs.  Gleason.  You  must  introduce  her. 
She  is  going  to  make  a  spesch." 

Used  to  acquiescence,  he  gallantly  offered  his  arm 
and  escorted  her  up  the  steps.  "  Ladies  and  gentle- 
man, I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  Mrs. 
Gleason,  who  will  talk  a  few  moments  about  the 
«  Open  Air  Charity.'  " 

The  buzz  of  voices  hushed.  No  wonder  that  Mrs. 
Gleason's  heart  jumped  to  her  throat,  with  a  mayor's 
introduction  and  a  crowd  of  expectant  faces.  No 
wonder  that  her  voice  trembled  a  little,  and  might 
have  failed  her  only  that  in  place  of  a  throng  of 
happy  people,  in  the  beauty  of  brilliant  lights  and 
waving  tree-tops,  she  seemed  to  see  narrow  lanes  and 
alleys  full  of  squalor  and  wretchedness,  with  tall  tene- 
ments shutting  out  all  but  a  narrow  strip  of  heaven's 
blue.  And  so,  in  a  gentle,  quiet  voice,  she  pictured 
the  contrast  to  her  hearers,  and  then  told  what  was 
being  done  for  them  ;  how  three  thousand  had  been 
sent  to  country  homes  for  two  weeks  of  happiness, 
and  gone  back  with  healthier  souls  in  healthier  bodies. 
"  Not  our  little  ones,"  she  said,  "  but  somebody's  little 


O.NE  BEAM.  243 

ones — His  little  ones — and  I  am  thinking  to-night  of 
the  '  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  nnto  one  of  the 
least  of  these,'  the  least  of  these,  '  ye  have  done  it 
unto  me.' ': 

It  was  a  simple  speech,  but  somehow  it  made  a 
breathless  quiet.  Mayor  Hayden  blinked  vigorously, 
•while  his  hand  slid  down  into  his  pocket.  "  And  I 
am  to  take  the  collection  ?  "  he  asked,  huskily,  turning 
to  Mrs.  Gleason. 

"  If  you  will,"  she  answered,  so  surprised  as  hardly 
to  be  able  to  answer. 

On  very  short  notice  Laura  produced  a  hat,  which 
the  mayor  bravely  accepted  and  passed  around  in  a 
storm  of  applause.  Yes,  it  was  a  success.  As  the 
paper  afterward  announced  : 

"  The  '  Open  Air  Charity  '  lawn  social  was  a  grand 
success,  financially  and  socially." 

But  it  didn't  say  that  one  of  the  two  happiest 
hearts  in  all  the  city  that  night  was  beneath  the  Hay- 
den  roof. 

There  was  a  patter  of  bare  feet  on  the  pavement, 
and  the  thump,  thump  of  a  crutch.  The  voice  cor- 
responding to  the  crutch  was  speaking  :  "  They  is 
goin'  to  send  more  'nns.  May  be  us,  Joey." 

"  JSTaw,  they  wont,"  Joey  growled. 

"  Don't  be  cross,  Joey,"  she  urged,  gently. 

"  They  never  done  it  last  year  when  other  'uns  not 
half  so  bad  as  you  went.  I  don't  care  'bout  me, 


244:  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

'cause  I  see  grass  an'  things,  an'  kin  most  always 
manage  to  git  sometliin'  to  eat,"  shaking  his  head 
wisely,  as  if  the  how  might  be  a  secret.  "  But  you  " 
— glancing  at  the  drawn-up  foot — "  can't  git  nowhere 
with  that  stick  o'  yourn." 

"  Mebbe  I  ken  git  'round  on  it  in  the  country." 

"  Humph ! "  came  between  the  doubting  lips. 
They  were  nearing  the  mission-house,  through  the 
open  windows  of  which  a  Sabbath  song  was  coming, 
the  only  cheery  thing  in  all  that  dirty,  noisy  street. 
"  I  wont  go  in,  Suke.  Aint  much  on  Sunday-schools, 
any  way." 

"  O  yes  ;  come  in,"  urged  Sukey.  But  Joey  reso- 
lutely shook  his  head  and  took  a  seat  on  the  lowest 
step.  "  Don't  be  in  there  long,  neither,  if  I'm  goin' 
to  wait." 

Poor  little  Joey !  not  always  so  cross  ways  as  to- 
day. He  knew  so  much  of  beatings  and  hunger  and 
so  little  of  comfort.  Yes,  and  he  knew  about  sacri- 
fices for  Sukey's  sake  that  many  a  brother  never 
dreamed  of.  But  to-day  there  he  sat,  biting  away  on 
a  stick,  and  growing  more  and  more  bitter  as  he  grew 
hungry.  Now  they  were  singing  the  closing  piece, 

"  There's  a  beautiful  land 

Where  they  hunger  and  thirst  nevermore." 

"'Taint  here,"  he  ejaculated,  breaking  the  stick 
with  a  spiteful  bite.  Distinctly  down  the  steps  the 
thump  of  the  crutch  could  be  heard,  and  somehow 
it  sounded  so  light  and  quick  that  he  turned. 


BEAM. 

"  O,  Joey ! "  and  Sukey  stopped  hobbling  to  clap 
her  thin  hands. 

"  Goin',  are  ye  ?  More'n  I  thought  they'd  do,"  he 
said,  brightening. 

"  An'  that  aint  all.     Guess  the  rest.     O  hurry  !  " 

"  They  goin'— " 

"  Yes,  they  is  goin'  to  take  you,  an'  I'll  have  a  pink 
gown  an'  a  sun-bunuit,  an'  O  !  lots  o'  things  ! " 

"  No !  Goin'  to  take  nae  1 "  he  repeated,  incredu- 
lously. 

"Yes;  an'  Joey,  you  wont  care,  will  you?"  she 
began,  speaking  low  ;  "  but  I  prayed  about  it— asked 
Him  "(and  she  pointed  a  little  finger  up  to  the  sky), 
"if  we  couldn't  go,  you  an'  I,  Joey.  Didn't  dare  tell 
ye  afore.  Don't  care  now,  do  ye  ? " 

In  answer  to  which  Joey  nodded  his  head  indul- 
gently, and  turned  to  take  her  hand,  saying,  kindly, 

"  Only  wish  'twas  to-day ;  don't  you,  Sukey  ? " 

And  so  the  pair  passed  out  of  sight,  the  little 
crutch  taking  frantic  leaps  ever  and  anon  while  the 
bare  feet  which  trotted  along  by  the  side  carried 
more  happiness  than  for  many  a  day  before. 


24:6  ANNALS  OF  THE  BOUND  TABLE. 


A  GRAIN  OF  MUSTARD-SEED, 


«f\  DEAR  !  how  can  I  ? "  and  the  tired  eyes  looked 
\-J  up  from  the  letter  to  the  mending-basket  close 
at  hand,  farther  on  to  the  sewing-machine,  almost 
groaning  under  its  weight,  to  the  floor  strewn  with 
playthings  and  clothing  hastily  thrown  off,  over  to 
the  corner  where  the  light  was  carefully  shaded  from 
a  bed  with  its  two  little  heads.  A  rustling  in  the 
cradle  on  which  her  foot  rested  claimed  her  wander- 
ing attention  until  the  long,  even  breathing  told  of 
sleep  again.  "It  seems  just  impossible  for  me,"  and 
the  tired  hands  reached  for  the  basket  and  straight- 
ened out  a  pair  of  little,  crumpled  stockings.  Steps 
on  the  stairs  and  the  swinging  open  of  the  door 
caused  her  to  raise  her  finger  warningly  to  the  in- 
truder, who  obeyed  the  gesture  with  a  questioning 
look  at  the  cradle.  "  This  is  comfortable,"  he  said, 
glancing  at  the  fire  and  shaded  light,  while  lie  pro- 
ceeded to  slip  into  a  dressing-gown  and  draw  his 
chair  near  the  cheery  warmth. 

"  Many  out  to-night  ? " 

"  Not  many.  Ah,  that  reminds  me !  The  sewing 
society  for  the  mission  school  meets  to-morrow. 


A  GRAIN  OF  MUSTARD-SEED.  247 

Coats  for  the  lads  and  frocks  for  the  lasses,  I  be- 
lieve ; "  and  the  minister  opened  his  volume  of  Ray- 
mond's "  Systematic  Theology  "  and  settled  down  to 
his  study.  Ever  and  anon  the  pages  turned,  while 
near  the  cradle  the  yarn  was  drawn  back  and  forth 
over  the  big  holes.  A  long-drawn  sigh  made  the 
reader  look  up  from  his  book. 

"  Tired,  Bessie  ? " 

"  Yes,  but  that's  nothing  new,"  answered  Bessie, 
making  a  sorry  attempt  at  a  smile. 

"  Well,  what  is  new  ?  Suppose  you  put  up  the 
basket ;  that  would  be  a  novelty." 

"Fred,"  she  began,  earnestly,  throwing  down  her 
work,  "  it's  so  hard  to  find  out  what  is  one's  duty ! 
Just  look  at  the  home  work — enough  for  one 
poor  woman — and  then  look  at  the  church  work : 
blind  Aunt  Katy,  old  Mrs.  Simpson,  all  the  calls  on 
the  sick,  festivals,  and  what  not.  It  just  keeps  me 
busy  every  minute,  doesn't  it  ?  And,  too,  I  am 
growing  to  feel  that  I  must  read  more.  I  feel  it 
most  when  I  look  at  the  children.  Surely  I  owe 
something  to  myself.  I  have  made  desperate  efforts 
lately  and  read  a  little.  I  was  thinking  what  I  could 
leave  off  to  get  more  time  when  this  came."  And 
she  brought  out  from  under  the  basket  a  letter,  and 
passed  it  over  to  her  husband : 

"  MY  DEAR  MRS.  FULLER  :  In  looking  over  the 
Minutes,  I  see  that  your  Church  is  without  an  aux- 


248  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

iliary  to  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
I  have  refrained  from  writing  to  you  before,  remem- 
bering your  "  church  debt,"  until  the  cries  for  help 
are  so  loud  and  the  need  of  money  so  great  we  must 
rally  every  force.  Never  in  the  world's  history  has 
there  been  such  an  opportunity  to  reach  Eastern 
women  as  now.  Every  facility  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  is  offered,  so  that  we  who  are  already  burdened 
with  home  and  church  can  still  find  time  for  the 
little  which  we  are  asked  to  do.  To  save  them  re- 
quires effort,  and  the  effort  may  be  a. sacrifice  for  us; 
but  isn't  it  worth  while  ?  Shall  we  be  sorry  in  the 
by  and  by  that  some  one  is  inside  the  pearly  gates 
because  we  helped  ?  In  looking  back  on  the  earth- 
life,  shall  we  regret  the  little  self-denial  ?  I  tell  thec 
nay.  In  my  work  I  have  noticed  that  a  new  society 
is  successful  in  proportion  as  the  minister's  wife  is 
willing  to  work  for  it.  With  you  to  preside,  with 
your  energy  and  perseverance,  it  will  succeed.  May 
I  not  hear  from  you  favorably  ? 

"  Yours  in  Christ,  — , 

"District  Sec.   W.  F.  J/.  &» 

"  Well !  "  and  lie  looked  at  her  over  the  letter. 

"  One  can't  do  more  than  they  can,  that's  certain," 
she  answered,  with  an  air  of  solemn  conviction. 
"Please  don't  laugh  ;  surely  my  family  is  first ;  next, 
my  husband's  church,"  counting  on  her  fingers ; 
"  and  don't  you  think,  honestly,  Fred,  that  all  time 


A  GKAIX  OF  MUSTARD-SEED. 

over  that  should  be  for — for  self-improvement  ?  It's 
precious  little — not  enough  to  do  the  heathen  any 
good." 

"  The  heathen  do  fare  rather  hard  according  to 
your  reckoning,"  he  answered,  shaking  his  head 
slowly.  "  Your  logic  and  my  judgment  seem  to  say 
it  isn't  your  duty,"  he  continued,  as  she  waited  for 
his  opinion. 

"  What  shall  I  write  her  ? "  was  the  next  question. 

"  To  let  the  matter  rest  '  until  a  more  convenient 
season, '  "  he  answered,  in  his  preoccupied  way. 

What  made  Fred  quote  those  words  ?  How  could 
she  help  picturing  that  scene  in  Agrippa's  judgment 
hall,  and  remembering  that  the  ;t  convenient  season  " 
never  came  to  him  ?  Ah,  yes ;  when  Agrippa  put 
away  that  opportunity  and  shut  his  ears  to  the  clank 
of  the  iron  chain,  as  Paul  the  prisoner  departed,  it 
was  an  opportunity  forever  neglected.  Perhaps  this 
was  the  reason  why,  when  she  lay  down  to  sleep,  the 
thought  still  clung  to  her,  until  it  entered  with  her 
into  the  shadowy  land  of  dreams :  a  land  sometimes 
so  near  the  heavenly  land  that  a  ladder  may  reach  to 
its  glory,  while  God's  own  messengers  visit  its  inhabit- 
ants. Xow  she  was  looking  upon  a  home,  a  pleasant 
home,  with  mother  and  children  happy  in  the  ten- 
derest  of  domestic  relations.  She  had  known  many 
such — her  own  was  like  it.  She  felt  like  reproach- 
ing herself  as  the  thought  of  her  home's  happiness, 
never  so  much  realized  as  now,  came  to  her  with 


250  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

greater  force.  And  now  her  vision  was  obscured. 
The  lovely  home  was  gone.  What  a  different 
country!  Such  narrow,  filthy  streets!  Such  an 
atmosphere  of  oppression  !  No  laughter,  no  smiles, 
no  happy  children,  no  cheerful  interchange  of 
greetings  between  the  people  who  passed  each  other 
and  shuffled  on  to  bow  before  the  hideous  idols 
which  adorned  the  street  corners.  Hark!  what  a 
sound !  a  mingling  of  groans  and  howls,  with  clash- 
ing of  cymbals,  hideous  beyond  description  ;  a  funeral 
train,  with  its  attendants,  growing  more  and  more 
demonstrative  as  they  neared  the  pyre.  She  had 
heard  of  this  horrible  custom,  but  how  dreadful  to  wit- 
ness it !  They  halted.  The  dead  was  laid  on  the  pyre  ; 
and  now  a  shrill  shriek  rose  above  the  wailing.  A 
slight  female  figure  was  lifted  beside  the  dead.  The 
awful  significance  of  it  all  broke  over  her.  The  wife 
was  to  be  burned  alive  with  the  husband.  Unable  to 
endure  it  longer,  Bessie  turned  away  and  closed  her 
ears  to  the  heart-rending  cries. 

What  was  that  form  ?  a  woman  ?  Yes ;  and  a 
baby  in  her  arms.  The  little  face  looked  familiar. 
She  scanned  it  closely  ;  a  horror  seized  her — her  own, 
her  darling  baby,  only  so  different  in  its  awkward 
dress !  And  the  mother — could  it  be  herself,  Bessie  ? 
A  gloom,  dark  as  midnight,  settled  over  her.  She 
clasped  the  little  form  to  her  breast  again  and  again  ; 
and  then,  walked  swiftly  toward  the  river  bank — the 
dark,  dreadful  Ganges.  An  insane  desire  to  plunge 


A  GRAIN  or  MUSTARD-SEED.  251 

in  seized  her.  But  there  was  a  curse  attending  self- 
destruction  ;  and  here  the  thought  of  the  gods — the 
cruel,  merciless  gods  —  sent  a  shiver  through  her 
frame.  But  the  baby,  her  daughter — Ah !  this  was 
why  she  was  here ;  because  the  little  one  was  a  de- 
spised daughter,  the  third,  and  it  must  die.  Why 
should  she  destroy  it  ?  Didn't  she  remember  that  Fred 
loved  his  little  girls — his  "  little  women,"  as  he  play- 
fully called  them  ?  But  the  thought  of  her  husband,  as 
the  kind  husband  and  loving  father,  grew  more  and 
more  unreal,  until  it  was  like  a  long-ago  dream,  difficult 
to  recall.  In  his  place  was  a  stern  tyrant,  despising  her, 
hating  her  baby.  She  moved  nearer  the  dark  water, 
looked  into  baby's  face  again.  In  answer  to  the 
mother-love  it  reached  out  its  little  hands  and 
touched  her  face  with  a  well-known  caress.  She 
tried  to  murmur  some  loving  words,  but  they  faltered 
on  her  lips.  She  raised  it  in  her  arms,  and,  with  the 
wild  cry  of  a  breaking  heart,  threw  the  little  one  far 
out  into  the  current.  A  splash  and  choking  gurgle, 
from  which  she  turned  away,  told  that  all  was  over. 
An  anguish  unspeakable,  destitute  of  every  ray  of 
hope,  took  possession  of  her.  She  threw  herself  on 
the  ground. 

"  Bessie  !  Bessie !  what  is  the  matter  ? " 

She  opened  her  eyes  in  her  own  room,  where  the 
first  sunbeam  was  struggling  for  admittance. 

"  O  Fred  !  is  baby  safe  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  are  you  sick  ? " 


252  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"No;  but  such  a  dream!  as  real — as  reality  it- 
self;" and  she  pulled  the  cradle  nearer,  and  looked 
earnestly  into  the  little  sleeping  face.  "  I  threw  my 
baby  into  the  Ganges.  O ! "  and  a  shiver.  "  You 
made  me,  or  I  thought  you  did.  "Wasn't  it  strange 
that  I  should  have  such  a  dream  after  deciding  not 
to  help  the  heathen  ? " 

"  Most  natural  thing  in  the  world,"  answered  Fred, 
"  you  were  tired,  and  it  worried  you." 

"  It's  a  wonder  my  hair  isn't  gray,"  said  Bessie,  as 
she  stepped  in  front  of  the  mirror,  half-expecting  to 
find  herself  crowned  white  as  snow.  "  I  never  knew 
what  a  hopeless  sorrow  was  before — absolutely  hope- 
less, not  a  ray  of  comfort.  I  thought  I  realized  it 
when  I  read  about  it ;  but  I  never  did,  never.  1 
cannot  help  thinking,"  she  continued,  after  a  little, 
"  that  I  ought  to  change  my  mind  about  a  society 
here.  I  certainly  do  not  feel  as  I  did  last  night." 
And  she  lifted  up  baby,  whose  garments  did  not  drip 
with  water  from  the  Ganges. 

"  Superstitious,  eh  ? " 

"  No ;  but  it  came  right  home."  And  she  shud- 
dered again. 

"  Just  as  you  please ;  but  I  thought  you  had 
care  enough,  and  I  quite  think  so  now,"  he  added. 
"  You're  not  strong,  Bessie,  and  the  little  ones — 

"  I  know ;  I've  reasoned  it  all  out ;  I'm  sure,  pos- 
itively sure,  I'll  find  time  somehow.  You  are  will- 
ing?" 


A  GKAIN  OF  MUSTAKD-SEED.  253 

"  Any  thing  to  prevent  you  from  transforming  me 
into  a  Hindu  tyrant,"  he  answered,  resignedly. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass,  one  Sabbath  morning,  that 
the  pastor  gave  an  earnest  invitation  to  the  ladies  to 
meet  at  the  parsonage  ;  and  on  the  afternoon  ap- 
pointed they  came.  Just  as  every  one  knows  who- 
has  done  this  work,  they  who  answered  the  invitation 
were  the  ladies  who  can  always  be  depended  on  in  all 
church  work:  attendants  at  the  rainy-night  prayer- 
meeting,  faithful  Sunday-school  teachers,  Marthas 
for  all  church  gatherings.  The  attendance  wasn't 
large,  because  this  class  of  ladies  isn't  large 
in  any  church ;  but  they  were  there,  making  up  in 
earnestness  and  devotion  what  they  lacked  in  num- 
bers. The  pastor's  wife,  re-enforced  with  a  "  Heathen 
Woman's  Friend "  and  a  pamphlet  of  missionary 
statistics,  called  them  to  order.  After  a  few  pre- 
liminary remarks,  with  quotations  from  the  statistics 
and  extracts  from  the  "  Heathen  "Woman's  Friend," 
she  read  the  "  secretary's  letter  "  and  waited  for  sug- 
gestions. A  cautious  little  woman  broke  the  pause. 

"I  know  this  is  important  work,  but  can  we  do 
justice  to  any  thing  if  we  undertake  so  much?  You 
know  \ve  have  two  societies  already." 

"  Let  me  relate  my  experience,"  began  the  chair- 
man, smiling  with  them  at  the  class-meeting  expres- 
sion. "  I  said  this  very  thing  when  I  received  the 
letter.  I  really  thought  we  couldn't  undertake  it. 
But  that  night — it  was  such  a  strange  coincidence,  I 


254  ANNALS  OF  THE  KOUND  TABLE. 

couldn't  help  feeling  that  it  was  sent  to  cause  me  to 
decide  differently  from  what  I  would  without  it — 
I  had  this  dream."  And  then  she  told  them  all  her 
strange  experience,  which  to  her  was  so  very  real. 
"  There  was  no  one  to  sing  to  me,  as  they  did  at  your 
home,  Mrs.  Phelps, 

" '  Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus.' 

If  a  dream  can  be  so  dreadful,  what  must  be  the 
reality?  and  can  we  pass  them  by,  when  the  oppor- 
tunity to  help  has  come  to  our  door  ? " 

She  was  a  timid  little  woman,  shrinking  from 
prominence,  and  her  earnestness  carried  weight. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  organize  and  do  what  we 
can,"  said  Mrs.  Phelps,  brushing  away  a  tear. 

"  So  do  I." 

"  And  I,"  echoed  the  others. 

So  the  society  was  regularly  organized  ;  the  several 
officers  promptly  resigning,  as  they  always  do,  you 
know,  and  then,  after  very  unbusiness-like  urgings 
from  the  entire  body,  modestly  accepting  the  honors 
of  office.  Thus  the  first  meeting  closed,  making  our 
Bessie  quite  happy  with  its  success,  notwithstanding 
it  burdened  her  with  its  presidency. 

Weeks  and  months  sped  on,  and  the  little  leaven 
put  in  by  the  tired  hand  burdened  with  other  duties, 
and  kept  warm  by  loving  hearts,  was  beginning  to  be 
felt,  imperceptibly  perhaps,  but  surely,  as  results 
proved.  At  length  the  Sabbath  came  which  an- 
nounced the  annual  meeting.  This  would  give  an 


A  GKAIN  OF  MUSTAKD-SEED.  255 

opportunity  to  swell  the  treasury  by  the  payment  of 
memberships,  the  opening  of  mite-boxes  which  had 
been  out  a  year,  and  any  voluntary  gifts.  It  was  a 
pleasant  evening  when  the  ladies  began  to  gather  at 
the  parsonage  :  so  warm  that  the  doors  and  windows 
stood  open.  K"ow  it  happened  that  directly  opposite 
the  parsonage  was  a  more  pretentious  building,  on  the 
piazza  of  which  two  ladies  were  seated,  enjoying  the 
twilight :  one  evidently  the  hostess,  the  other  her  guest. 

"  Do  tell  me  what  is  going  on  over  the  way,"  ob- 
served the  guest. 

"  O  that's  a  minister's  abode.  I  think  they  hold 
a  missionary  meeting  this  evening." 

"  Did  you  ever  know  a  minister's  wife  who  didn't 
preside  over  every  thing  churchy  ? " 

"  Never ;  this  woman  is  always  as  busy  as  a  bee. 
She  has  three  little  children.  How  a  woman  can 
neglect  her  home  for  heathen  I  don't  see." 

"  Wasn't  she  the  mother  we  saw  yesterday  giving 
three  little  midgets  an  airing  \ " 

"  O  yes  ;  she  always  gives  them  whatever  attention  is 
left  over  from  the  little  Chinese.  Generous,  isn't  it  ? " 

"  I  remember  thinking  she  had  a  real  sweet  face," 
answered  the  guest,  musingly. 

After  a  brief  pause,  during  which  the  familiar  words, 

'•  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains  " 

wrere  wafted  to  them,  she  added,  "  What  do  you  say 
to  going  over,  just  for  amusement  ?  I  do  enjoy  busi- 
ness meetings  when  women  preside." 


256  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  Please  excuse  me  :  I  lack  your  curiosity,  and  the 
sunset  is  too  charming  to  be  neglected." 

"  With  your  permission,  I  think  I'll  go.  No  one 
here  knows  me ;  I  can  steal  in  unobserved.  I  will 
not  be  gone  long,"  she  said,  waving  her  hand  from 
the  steps. 

Imagine  Bessie's  surprise  when  she  raised  her  head 
from  the  prayer  and  discovered  a  visitor  demurely 
seated  in  a  corner — a  stranger,  richly  attired  and 
very  attentive.  No  wonder  the  ladies  cast  sidelong 
glances  in  that  direction.  During  that  little  brief 
moment  the  president  couldn't  help  wondering  if 
she  was  a  strong-minded  woman  come  in  to  criti- 
cise. 

"  No,  I  guess  not,"  she  thought,  stealing  another 
glance.  And  then,  aloud,  "  The  secretary's  report 
will  now  be  read."  The  business  proceeded,  not 
exactly  according  to  parliamentary  rules,  perhaps,  but 
none  the  less  interesting  on  that  account.  Item  after 
item  was  considered,  the  ladies  getting  quite  enthu- 
siastic over  the  treasurer's  report.  Some  one  called 
for  the  opening  of  the  mite-boxes. 

"  Not  much  addition,  possibly,  but  we  are  glad  of 
even  the  mites." 

"  These  boxes  were  taken  a  year  ago,"  said  the 
president,  ;'  into  the  houses  of  the  ladies,  to  receive 
their  little  gifts." 

Sums  varying  from  twenty-five  cents  to  a  dollar 
were  announced  as  each  box  was  opened. 


A  GRAIN  OF  MUSTARD-SEED.  257 

"  Mrs.  Simpson  sent  hers  by  me,"  said  Mrs. 
Phelps,  handing  it  to  the  president. 

"  O  yes,  I  remember,  she  said  she  couldn't  be  a 
member,  but  she'd  take  a  box  and  do  what  she  could. 
I  don't  know  where  even  these  '  mites '  came  from," 
said  Bessie,  as  she  emptied  out  a  couple  of  pennies, 
and  from  a  little  paper  three  well-worn  pieces  of  silver 
rattled  into  her  lap  as  she  unfolded  it.  Why,  here  is 
a  note  from  Mrs.  Simpson.  She  says: 

"  '  DEAR  MISSIONARY  LADIES  :  I  remembered  that 
to-night  was  the  annual  meeting,  and  I  remembered, 
too,  that  I  had  nothing  to  give.  Then  I  thought  of 
these  little  silver  pieces,  carefully  treasured  because 
they  belonged  to  rny  dear  boy  now  in  heaven.  I  well 
remember,  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday,  how  he  would 
hold  them  in  his  hand  and  plan  what  he  would  do 
with  them,  as  children  will.  Those  were  days  of 
weary  poverty.  Sickness  made  us  shelterless,  so  he 
talked  of  buying  a  home  for  mother  when  he  had 
added  to  his  little  store.  When,  from  a  borrowed  cot 
in  a  neighbor's  house,  he  went  home.,  I  unclasped 
from  his  stiffened  fingers  this  money,  which  he  had 
begged  in  his  delirium  to  '  buy  mother  a  home  with.' 
I  have  often  said  that  no  personal  want,  however  ur- 
gent, would  cause  me  to  part  with  it,  but,  thankful  that 
I  am  permitted  to  give  something,  I  ask  that  it  may 
have  a  place  in  your  treasury.  It  goes  forth  freighted 
with  prayer.  May  God  bless  you  and  your  work  ! ' ' 


253  AJTXALS  OF  THE  ROUXD  TABLE. 

Bessie's  voice  bad  grown  more  and  more  husky ; 
until  it  was  hardly  audible.  With  the  last  word,  un- 
able to  control  her  emotion,  she  bowed  her  head  upon 
the  table,  regardless  of  proprieties.  When  she  looked 
up  again,  every  face  was  hidden. 

4*  Well,  ladies,"  she  said,  after  a  little,  "  what  shall 
we  do  with  this  gift  ? " 

"  I  would  like  very  much  to  purchase  it  and  return 
it  to  the  mother,"  came  timidly  from  the  visitor's 
corner. 

"  A  very  kind  offer,"  said  the  president,  nodding 
gratefully. 

"  Pardon  me,  but  would  it  not  make  her  feel 
badly  to  have  her  gift  returned  ? '"  said  a  thoughtful 
lady. 

"'  I'm  afraid  it  would.''  Mrs.  Phelps  answered, 
with  a  kindly  lock  at  the  stranger. 

li  O.  don't  let  me  interfere  ;  I  thought  that  was  so 
precious  to  her.  and  any  other  would  answer  for  your 
treasury  quite  as  well/' 

"  I  think,"  said  the  president,  "  she  must  have  had 
more  enjoyment  in  giving  it  for  the  very  reason  that 
it  was  so  precioQS  to  her,  and,  somehow,  I  believe  it 
will  accomplish  more  than  ordinary  money/' 

WLen  the  vote  was  taken  the  gift  was  heartily 
accepted. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  the  visitor,  hesitatingly, 
l"  that  she  would  be  willing  to  receive  a  member- 
ehipl" 


A  GRAIN  OF  MUSTARD  SEED.  259 

"  Very  thankfully,  I  am  sure,"  answered  the  presi- 
dent, promptly. 

Then  the  doxology  was  sung :  after  which  came 
the  chit-chat  and  inquiries  about  each  other's  families. 

"  This  is  — "  said  Bessie,  extending  her  hand  to 
the  stranger. 

"  Mrs.  Johnson.  I  took  the  liberty  to  come  in  un- 
invited, and  have  enjoyed  your  meeting  very  much." 

"  We  are  very  thankful  for  the  gift,  as  Mrs.  Simp- 
son will  be,  I  am  sure." 

"  Please  don't  speak  of  that ;  it's  nothing  compared 
with  what  her  letter  has  done  for  me.  Who  is 
she?" 

"  A  dear  old  widow  lady,  entirely  dependent  on 
her  friends.  A  perfect  piece  of  sunshine,"  said 
Bessie. 

'*  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  know  very  little  about 
the  work  of  this  society.  It  accomplishes  a  great 
deal,  doesn't  it  ? " 

"  Would  you  like  to  take  some  reading  home  with 
you  ? " 

"  With  your  permission,"  said  Mrs.  Johnson,  hesi- 
tatingly, "I  would  rather  talk  with  you  about  it.  Do 
you  receive  informal  calls?" 

u  Xever  any  other,"  said  Bessie,  unable  to  keep 
the  wonder  out  of  her  eyes,  as  she  glanced  from  the 
rich  attire  of  the  visitor  to  the  u  Heathen  Woman's 
Friend,"  which  she  was  viewing  with  interest. 

"'  I  may  trouble  you  often,  then.     Good-night." 


260  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

And  she  tripped  down  the  steps,  with  sympathies 
stirred  and  heart  warmed  toward  the  suffering  women 
abroad  and  the  unselfish  women  at  home. 

The  next  afternoon  found  the  visitor  on  the  little 
piazza  of  the  parsonage,  listening  attentively  while 
the  president  talked  of  zenanas  and  Bible-women  and 
orphanages.  At  length,  drawn  out  by  the  sympathy 
of  the  hearer,  she  went  back  to  her  own  little  expe- 
rience as  an  inhabitant  of  India. 

"  O,  it  makes  living  mean  so  much  wrhen  you  take 
in  the  whole  world,"  said  the  guest,  as  she  rose  to  go. 
"  It's  so  nice  to  be  of  some  use  in  the  world.  You 
have  so  many  opportunities ! " 

"  Opportunities ! "  gasped  Bessie,  glancing  at  the 
jeweled  fingers. 

"  Yes,  opportunities ; "  and  she  smiled  at  Bessie's 
wonder. 

"  Every  thing  in  my  surroundings  is  away  from 
helping  others.  But  there  is  hope  for  me;  I  see 
what  you  mean." 

Some  weeks  had  passed  since  the  annual  meeting. 
The  guest  across  the  way  had  gone  back  to  her  city 
home — not,  however,  until  she  had  paid  the  parson- 
age several  visits ;  and  had  actually  worked  on  calico 
dresses  for  the  mission  school,  while  Bessie  read  to 
her  a  letter  which  had  come  all  the  way  from  India 
to  plead  for  suffering  women.  Yes,  and  she  had  met 
old  Mrs.  Simpson.  The  jeweled  hand,  which  had 
served  only  itself,  had  clasped  the  hard,  wrinkled 


A  GRAIN  OF  MUSTARD-SEED.  201 

hand  which,  although  it  must  needs  be  extended  in 
faith  for  daily  bread,  still  could  not  be  denied  its 
share  in  loving  service. 

An  afternoon  came  which  brought  Bessie  a  letter. 

"  I  don't  recognize  the  handwriting,"  she  said,  tear- 
ing off  the  envelope. 

"  Not  from  home  ? "  queried  her  husband,  as  she 
read  it  hurriedly. 

"  O  !  O  !  Mrs.  Johnson !     Thirty  dollars ! " 

"  Mrs.  Johnson  ? "  he  said. 

"  Why,  she  visited  across  the  way ;  came  to  our 
meeting,  you  know ;  and  now  she  wants  to  give 
thirty  dollars  a  year  to  support  an  orphan.  She 
says,  '  It's  name  must  be  Bessie.'  " 

"  Ah,  that  is  good  ;  she  couldn't  have  made  a  bet- 
ter choice,"  said  her  husband. 

"  And  just  hear  this,  Fred.  She  says :  '  I  want  to 
give  this  as  a  thank-offering  for  what  I  have  learned 
through  you  and  your  society.  Before  my  visit  to 
your  little  meeting  I  thought  that  "Woman's  Mission- 
ary Societies  were  for  the  benefit  of  the  strong- 
minded  ;  but  there  I  caught  something  of  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  work,  and  that  letter  was  so  touching ! 
the  old  story  of  the  « two  mites '  and  the  benediction 
upon  them.  This  work  is  growing  on  me  as  I  read 
about  it.  A  few  days  ago  I  read  of  a  lady  who  de- 
sired to  support  a  Bible-reader  because  it  was  such  a 
joyous  thought  that,  as  she  laid  aside  the  cares  and 
duties  of  the  day  here,  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe 


202  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

she  could  have  a  substitute  who  would  be  just  enter- 
ing upon  the  new  day  of  service,  and  thus  her  work 
for  the  Master  would  cease  neither  day  nor  night.  I 
think  I  begin  to  share  that  lady's  enthusiasm,  which 
takes  in  the  whole  twenty-four  hours.' 

"  Who  would  have  thought,"  soliloquized  Bessie,  as 
she  laid  aside  the  letter,  "  that  so  much  could  have 
come  from  the  writing  of  that  one  letter  by  the  dis- 
trict secretary  to  the  overburdened  wife  of  the  min- 
ister !  An  auxiliary  organized  ;  the  ;  widow's  mite  ' 
given  ;  a  Bible-reader  and  an  orphan  supported  !  and 
not  the  least  glad  thought  is  that  this  wealthy  lady 
has  become  so  much  interested  in  mission  \vork." 

"  '  Like  to  a  grain  of  mustard-seed, . . .  which  indeed 
is  the  least  of  all  seeds ;  but  when  it  is  grown,  it  is 
the  greatest  among  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,'  "  re- 
peated a  wise  voice  from  behind  the  Concordance. 


"MucH  KEQUIRED."  263 


"MUCH  REQUIRED." 


A  TRULY  beautiful  room  it  was — a  room  where 
glittering  candelabras  hung  from  the  ceilings, 
where  pictures  that  were  rare  treasures  of  art  looked 
down  from  the  walls,  and  where  every  little  decoration 
played  its  part  in  the  general  harmony.  The  figure 
who  was  the  foreground  against  all  this  had  already 
arranged  a  hassock  for  her  feet,  settled  back  into  a 
luxurious  chair,  and  now  was  patiently  waiting  for  the 
quiet  gentleman  on  the  other  side  of  the  table  to  read 
through  l.i is  columns. 

"  Would  you  'nind  reading  the  news  aloud  ?  "  she 
asked,  at  lengtn. 

"  What  do  you  call  news,  fashion  notes  ? "  and  he 
turned  his  paper  and  listened  obediently  for  orders. 

"  ISTo,  no  ;  something  fresh  and  interesting." 

"  Ah  !  here  it  is.  '  A  returned  missionary  and  his 
wife  come  back  after  twenty  years  of  service  in  India 
and  China.'  " 

"  What  else  ? "  she  demanded,  for  he  had  stopped 
with  the  formidable  heading. 

(i  '  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Judd  were  rapturously  welcomed 
yesterday  by  the  many  friends  who  have  com?  to 


ANNALS  OF  THE  EOUND  TABLE. 

love  and  honor  them  for  their  long  service  in  mis- 
sionary work.  A  public  meeting  will  be  held  at  St. 
Luke's  Wednesday  next,  where  they  will  deliver  ad- 
dresses in  behalf  of  the  cause  to  which  they  have 
given  their  lives.'  Is  that  fresh  .and  interesting  ? "  he 
asked,  throwing  aside  his  paper. 

"  Why,  yes,"  she  answered,  slowly.  "  There  is  such 
a  dignity  about  having  an  earnest  purpose  in  life, 
especially  when  a  woman  has  it." 

"  How  will  you  carve  out  your  destiny  ? "  he 
queried. 

She  had  begun  to  smile,  but  grew  sober. 

"It's  an  unsolvable  problem.  If  'life  is  real, 
life  is  earnest,'  to  what  special  end  am  I  created,  I 
wonder?" 

"Women  folks  in  general,  to  make  pin-cushions 
and  give  dinners,  I  suppose,"  he  answered,  calmly 
disposing  of  the  female  population  and  his  after- 
dinner  fruit  at  the  same  time. 

"Some  of  us  act  as  if  we  thought  so,  surely  enough," 
she  admitted,  a  little  unwillingly. 

"  Which  is  certainly  less  conspicuous  than  having  a 
mission  or  addressing  a  convention,"  he  suggested. 

"  I  have  just  thought  of  the  old  catechism  answer 
to  the  question :  '  What  is  the  chief  end  of  man  ? ' 
Do  you  remember  ? " 

He  thought  a  moment,  and  shook  his  head. 

" '  To  glorify  God  and  enjoy  him  forever,' "  she 
repeated,  slowly,  almost  reverently. 


"Mirci!  REQUIRED."  265 

"Wliat  a  memory!  My  dear,  you  should  have  been 
a  business  man.  It  would  be  worth  a  thousand  a  year 
to  you.'1 

"Just  see  how  many  years  I  have  forgotten  this," 
she  protested.  "  It  is  like  working  without  a  pat- 
tern until  your  garment  is  almost  done,  and  then 
wake  up  to  find  it  entirely  without  form  or  come- 
liness." 

"  What  has  resurrected  this  woman  question  ? "  he 
asked,  comparing  his  watch  with  the  mantel-clock, 
which  always  meant  that  business  had  begun ;  "  and 
will  you  be  choosing  a  vocation  or  taking  the  plat- 
form for  suffrage  ? " 

"Don't  give  yourself  the  slightest  uneasiness,"  she 
urged.  "  The  thought  docs  press  rather  heavily  some- 
times that  I  am  so  utterly  useless  in  the  world  ;  but  I 
shall  always  believe  that  women  were  created  to  stay 
at  home." 

"  How  about  the  missionary's  wife  you  were  com- 
mending a  moment  ago?  There's  no  subject  like  this 
to  make  people  inconsistent." 

"  She— she  may  be  a  special  dispensation,"  came 
the  reluctant  answer,  "and  if  I  was  in  her  place  I 
would  let  my  husband  make  the  speeches." 

"  If  you  had  sung  as  many  years  as  she, 

'  Where  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile,' 

you  would  be  just  as  willing  to  crowd  your  patient 
and   long-suffering  husband  into  the  background ; " 


2G6  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

saying  which  he  filled  each  overcoat  pocket  with 
documents  and  departed. 

The  very  next  day  Mrs.  Boardman  was  driving  in 
the  magnificent  park  of  the  city  —  literally  driving, 
for  her  coachman  sat  at  her  left  with  folded  arms, 
while  she  guided  the  spirited  steeds,  who  seemed  to 
know  her  touch,  and  sailed  gracefully  along  with  their 
swan-like  necks,  or  made  the  distances  fly  behind  them, 
as  she  indicated.  A  barouche  was  approaching,  and 
as  she  raised  her  head  to  recognize  the  gentleman  her 
eyes  fell  upon  the  lady  who  sat  by  his  side,  a  little 
silvery -grey  woman  she  was,  with  a  face  like  an  olive- 
branch.  In  a  brief  moment  they  had  passed,  but  it 
was  long  enough  for  each  to  look  through  the  soul- 
window  of  the  other. 

The  stranger-lady  had  noticed  that  her  friend  lifted 
his  hat,  so  she  ventured  to  ask  : 

"She  is  an  acquaintance  of  yours?" 

"  Yes,  her  husband  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  our 
solid  firms.  They  are  members  of  St.  Luke's." 

"  Is  she  a  worker  ? "  after  waiting  a  little,  and  hop- 
ing to  hear  more. 

"  I   fear  not.     She  is  content  with  being  a  verv 

o  •/ 

charming  woman." 

"  You  are  wondering  at  my  question,"  said  the 
lady,  in  a  voice  of  quiet  apology ;  "  but  I  couldn't 
keep  back  the  desire — it  was  such  a  strong  one — that 
the  energy  and  skill  displayed  in  managing  her  horses 
might  somehow  be  transferred  to  our  missionary 


"MucH  KEQUIEED."  2CT 

work,"  and  the  sweet  face  grew  very  sober,  for  beyond 
the  vistas  of  waving  tree-tops  she  saw  heathen  tem- 
ples ;  above  the  sounds  of  twittering  birds  and  tink- 
ling fountains  she  heard  -the  wail  of  the  suffering 
millions  who  had  crept  so  near  her  heart  that  they 
were  truly  her  brothers  and  sisters. 

The  impression  seemed  to  be  mutual.  As  they 
rolled  by,  Mrs.  Board  man  began  her  interrogations. 

"John,  was  that  Judge  Porter?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  Do  you  know  who  their  guests  are  ? " 

"  Them  missionaries  from  over  the  water.  Pat 
says  they've  seen  the  other  side  of  the  world,  ma'am." 

To  which  Mrs.  Boardman  made  no  further  reply 
than  an  inward  resolution,  which  was  carried  out  that 
afternoon  when  she  followed  the  company  turning 
in  at  St.  Luke's. 

Be  assured  it  was  a  very  attentive  listener  who  sat 
through  that  missionary  service  and  hurried  home  to 
talk  it  over. 

"  It's  an  absolute  fact,"  she  began,  after  supper  that 
night,  "  that  I  have  been  laboring  under  a  delusion  all 
my  life  about  these  missionaries.  They  are  veritable 
heroes.  One  cannot  help  feeling  it.  They  have  over- 
come obstacles  all  their  lives  until  nothing  looks  hard; 
and  then  they  have  such  broad  ideas  of  life." 

Mr.  Boardman  listened  to  the  talk  with  that  sort 
of  smile  which  those  husbands  wear  whose  wives  are 
addicted  to  moments  of  eloquence. 


2GS  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  It  strikes  me  it's  nothing  so  very  new.  Have  not 
we  always  been  represented  on  the  subscription  list  ?" 
he  demanded,  in  self-defense. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  slowly ;  "  but  what  is  that  to 
giving  one's  self,  with  all  the  possibilities  of  life  and 
all  one's  delicious  dreams  of  the  future  ?  I  wont  say 
that  you  were  influenced  by  the  judge,  but  as  for  me, 
I  am  willing  to  own  that  I  did  not  want  to  be  outdone 
by  the  judge's  wife.  The  figure  opposite  our  name 
became  a  sort  of  index  of  social  standing,  like  one's 
equipage  or  table-service.  Just  think !  "  and  she 
dropped  her  hands  into  her  lap  despairingly,  as  if  she 
were  looking  back  on  the  Dark  Ages. 

"  Well,"  he  began,  as  matters  grew  personal,  "  what 
did  he  say  that  was  so  interesting  ? " 

"  1  came  away  with  two  impressions.  First,  that 
Paganism  is  a  dreadful  reality.  I  couldn't  help  re- 
culling  Carlyle's  definition  of  it  — '  a  bewildering,  in- 
extricable jungle  of  delusions,  confusions,  falsehoods, 
and  absurdities.'  But  the  deepest  impression  was,  that 
these  deluded  people  are  our  brothers  and  sisters— 
that  they  have  longings  and  gropings  after  the  truth, 
and  immortal  souls  capable  of  eternal  development, 
like  ourselves.  He  says,  if  you  talk  with  a  Christian- 
ized Chinese  you  will  become  convinced  that  there  is 
no  country  like  China.  "VYlien  you  have  converted 
them  you  have  a  Christian  nation  of  four  hundred 
millions  of  people.  Just  think  of  the  possibilities  of 
a  little  leaven  there — a  nation  which  was  old  when 


"Mucn  REQUIRED."  269 

Europe  and  America  were  unbroken  wildernesses. 
But  if  you  talk  with  a  Hindu  you  will  be  assured 
tliere  is  no  field  like  India.  There  is  no  country 
where  they  will  make  such  sacrifices  for  their  religion. 
He  says,  when  he  has  seen  them  inflicting  all  kinds 
of  torture  on  themselves,  and  crawling  their  long, 
weary  pilgrimages  to  the  sacred  river,  and  heard  their 
beseeching  cries — ' O,  Gunga,  save  us,  save  us!' — he 
has  longed  that  the  cry  might  come  even  to  our  ears 
until  we  should  be  eager  to  answer  back  through  liv- 
ing epistles,  'God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.' " 

Mr.  Boardman,  with  head  thrown  back  and  eyes 
partly  closed,  was  apparently  dozing,  but  he  heard  it 
all,  bless  you,  yes.  The  old  hackneyed  missionary  sub- 
ject was  becoming  a  new  revelation,  but  he  only  said, 
"And  you  haven't  mentioned  Mrs.  Demosthenes." 

"  Because  I  have  yet  to  be  converted  to  women's 
speech-making,"  she  answered,  promptly;  "but 
there's  a  charm  about  her.  You  feel  that  if  the 
glory  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  should  be  laid  at 

o        •/  ~ 

her  feet,  it  would  not  move  her.  Nothing  could. 
She  would  simply  shake  her  queenly  little  head  in 
refusal;  and  with  it  all,  is  a  simplicity  that  reminds 
me  of  your  Quakeress  mother." 

He  hesitated  a  little  before  commenting.  "  A 
fancy  of  yours,  I  dare  say,  but  why  not  give  a  dinner 
for  her.  Isn't  that  the  way  you  ladies  do  things?" 


270  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

"  So  we  will.  But  there  shall  be  no  one  invited 
but  her  husband." 

"  New  thing  under  the  sun,"  he  laughed.  "  A 
monopoly  on  missionaries ! " 

And  so  a  very  unusual  thing  happened.  Prepara- 
tions were  made  for  a  dinner,  but  no  one  came  except 
the  missionary  and  his  wife,  and  the  hostess  herself 
received  them  at  the  door  in  a  most  informal  and  de- 
lightfully hospitable  manner.  Mr.  Boardman  discov- 
ered that  his  wife's  fancy  was  not  wholly  without 
foundation,  though,  of  course,  there  never  could  be 
another  woman  like  his  mother. 

It  came  about  very  naturally  that  one  dinner  was 
all  too  short  for  all  that  must  be  said,  and  so  it  was 
repeated,  while  Mrs.  Boardman  felt  that  she  was 
being  taken  up  into  an  exceeding  high  mountain  and, 
with  the  widening  horizon,  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  and  the  misery  of  them  were  unfolding  to  her 
view. 

Acting  under  the  impulse  of  this  revenling,  at  one 
of  their  after-dinner  talks,  she  lifted  a  very  earnest 
face  to  her  unconscious  priestess,  and  asked  : 

"What  is  my  duty  in  this  matter?  What  shall  I 
give  ?"  toying  with  her  diamond-studded  fingers  while 
she  asked,  and  little  dreaming  that  a  new  door  was 
opening  out  of  her  life. 

The  missionary's  wife  returned  a  look  which  was 
itself  a  benediction,  and  quietly  answered,  as  if  it  were 
a  matter  setttled  long  ago,  "  Yourself." 


"  MUCH  REQUIRED."  271 

The  earnest  face  instantly  became  an  astonished 
one. 

"  ^N"o,  you  cannot  mean  it." 

"  Yes,  yourself,"  and  she  began  stroking  the  hand 
which  had  been  laid  in  her  lap.  "  I  must  go  back  to 
my  work  very  soon.  May  I  not  leave  you  to  trans- 
late the  sorrowing,  beseeching  language  of  heathen- 
dom into  a  language  which  these  people  can  feel? 
Let  them  see  as  plainly  as  we  do  that  in  this  mission- 
ary idea  our  Father  is  working  out  one  of  his  great 
designs.  Whether  we  help  or  not,  it  must  go  on  ;  but 
then  you  will  know  for  yourself  what  wondrous  peace 
it  brings  to  have  the  consciousness  that  you  are  in 
harmony  with  his  infinite  plans." 

By  this  time  her  eyes  were  overflowing.  It  was  all 
such  a  wonderful  message.  Had  this  little  woman 
received  a  communication  from  the  very  court  of 
heaven  ?  How  else  was  it  that  she  knew  of  her  dis- 
satisfied life  and  the  immortal  soul  which  would  not 
be  content  with  eating,  drinking,  and  being  merry  ? 

"  But,"  she  began,  "  I  can  never  believe  that  any 
woman  is  called  to  speak  publicly.  I  never  have 
believed  it,  and  I  never  can." 

"  '  To  whomsoever  much  is  given,'  "  murmured  the 
missionary's  wife,  giving  a  comprehensive  glance 
around  the  beautiful  room.  "  But  I  am  willing  to 
leave  it  all  with  you.  I,  too,  believe  that  a  woman's 
throne  is  her  own  home.  It  is  very  blessed  to  sit 
quietly  at  the  Master's  feet,  as  did  Mary  in  the  Beth- 


272  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

any  home ;  but  sometimes,  like  Miriam,  we  must  strike 
the  timbrel,  sometimes  we  must  be  Lydias  to  carry  in 
the  folds  of  our  garments  Christ's  word  to  these 
peoples ;  and  sometimes,  like  Mary  Magdalene,  we  are 
bidden  to  hasten  away  from  his  tomb,  where  we  would 
worship  his  risen  body  in  order  that  we  may  spread 
the  glad  news  of  his  resurrection." 

Still  Mrs.  Boardman  shook  her  head,  because,  you 
know,  people  do  not  throw  away  life-grown  preju- 
dices all  at  once.  The  wise  little  woman  knew  this, 
and  having  planted  the  truth  she  could  quietly  and 
calmly  abide  its  springing. 

Gradually  there  crept  into  this  home  missionary 
literature.  "The  Land  of  the  Veda"  came  to  tell 
them  of  India's  struggle,  and  of  Havelock,  the  Chris- 
tian M-arrior;  histories  of  the  Oriental  nations  and 
lives  of  missionary  heroes  found  places  on  the  library 
shelves,  while  the  monthly  paper  came  to  tell  them 
of  each  day's  onward  march. 

Not  long  afterward  a  conference  of  ministers  and 
mission  workers  was  called  in  that  very  city.  The 
missionary  and  his  wife,  as  representing  the  field,  had 
prominent  parts  of  the  programme,  and  our  Mrs. 
Boardman,  who  now  had  taken  all  these  days  into 
her  calendar,  was  prepared  to  enjoy  it  as  never  be- 
fore. But  no  sooner  had  she  been  seated  in  the  well- 
filled  church  than  a  messenger  brought  her  a  note 
which  filled  her  first  with  grief  and  then  with  intense 
solicitude. 


"  MUCH  REQUIRED."  273 

"  MY  DEAR  MRS.  BOARDMAN  i  I  write  f  roiii  a  sick- 
bed that  I  am  sorrowing  most  of  all  because  I  cannot 
look  into  your  face  to-day.  My  work  cannot  be  rep- 
resented unless  you  are  willing  to  speak  a  few  words 
for  me.  Knowing  that  you  have  been  '  enriched  in 
all  utterance  and  in  all  knowledge,'  I  beg  you  not  to 
turn  aside  what  may  be  this  good  providence  to  you." 

A  flood  of  conflicting  emotions  swept  over  her  as 
she  crumpled  the  paper  in  her  hands.  The  sudden 
impulse  to  send  up  a  refusal  and  then  run  away  was 
followed  by  a  sober  second  thought,  until  it  seemed 
that  from  every  zenana  prison  with  which  she  had 
become  familiar,  from  every  hideous  heathen  temple, 
where  by  bodily  suffering  the  worshipers  were  seek- 
ing to  wash  away  sin,  from  every  smoking  funeral 
pyre  of  human  sacrifice,  was  borne  the  cry,  "Unto 
whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall  be  much 
required."  She  glanced  about  the  room.  Many  of 
her  friends  coming  out  from  homes  like  her  own 
were  present.  O,  if  only  the  missionary's  wife  were 
there  to  inspire  them  as  she  had  been  inspired !  A 
foreground  of  venerable  ministers  made  her  heart 
quake  ;  she  who  had  never  spoken  publicly  in  her  life, 
ay,  more,  had  so  stoutly  advocated  its  impropriety. 
Dimly  there  came  to  her  memory  the  story  of  the 
gathering  at  Jerusalem,  where  many  people  must  be 
taught,  and  where  the  gift  of  language,  as  it  were, 
God's  own  coronation,  rested  upon  the  speakers. 

18 


274  ANXALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

That  part  of  the  note,  "enriched  in  all  utterance," 
kept  repeating  itself. 

Already  the  exercises  were  fast  progressing,  and 
almost  before  she  had  settled  the  question,  her  name 
was  announced.  With  a  quick  firm  step  she  ascended 
the  platform  and  looked  down  on  what  seemed  a  sea 
of  faces.  She  thought  only  to  echo  the  cry  as  it  had 
come  to  her  that  afternoon ;  but  as  she  tried  to  tell 
them  how  "  His  truth  is  inarching  on,"  the  field  of 
vision  stretched  on  and  out  to  the  possibilities  of 
intellectual  force  and  moral  power  hidden  away  in 
these  benighted  people,  destined  soon,  if  we  should 
be  faithful,  to  come  to  an  inconceivably  glorious 
fruition.  She  spoke  of  papal-bound  Rome,  and  our 
little  church  there,  within  ear-shot  of  the  awful 
Mamertine  Prison  from  which  the  first  missionary, 
St.  Paul,  went  forth  to  martyrdom,  and  where  he 
wrote,  "  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished 
my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  She  told  them 
how  Napoleon  himself  was  put  under  tribute  to  bring 
the  walls  for  the  building  of  the  little  church,  which 
he  designed  to  use  for  stables  for  his  horses,  but 
being  called  home  to  look  after  a  threatened  gov- 
ernment, the  timbers  were  cared  for  until  raised  up 
as  the  first  Protestant  church  of  Rome.  Once  again, 
as  in  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  the  manger  and  the  be- 
ginning of  Christianity  were  in  close  and  helpful 
proximity. 

She  did  not  forget  to  plead  for  the  Dark  Continent, 


"  MUCH  REQUIRED."  275 

where  more  are  "  off  duty  forever  "  in  the  little  mis- 
sion cemetery,  where  lie  the  heroes  of  half  a  century, 
than  remain  to  work  for  its  teeming  millions.  She 
reminded  them  that  the  Simon  who  took  the  cross 
from  the  shoulders  of  the  fainting  Saviour,  on  that 
journey  toward  Calvary,  was  an  African. 

And  O,  from  what  a  full  heart  she  pleaded  for  the 
twenty-one  millions  of  widows  in  India.  Half  of 
them  only  betrothed,  nevertheless  called  widows,  held 
responsible  for  the  death  of  the  husband,  and  doomed 
to  a  life  of  infamy,  of  starvation,  and  of  the  severest 
physical  labor.  As  Joseph  Cook  says,  "  they  are  only 
things."  She  told  of  the  forty  millions  of  women 
in  the  zenanas  of  India,  forever  shut  away  from  med- 
ical skill  in  the  hands  of  male  physicians,  and  how 
the  Woman's  Missionary  Society,  by  sending  out 
woman  physicians,  was  trying  to  do  what  our  Saviour 
meant  his  disciples  should  do  when  he  said  to  them, 
"  Heal  the  sick,  preach  the  Gospel."  Not  only  that, 
but  they  had  gathered  into  medical  schools  classes  of 
natives  who,  in  times  of  plague  and  contagion,  had 
proved  themselves  angels  of  healing  to  their  own 
terror-stricken,  dying  people. 

She  told  them  that  China  presented  the  sad  and 
awful  spectacle  of  a  nation  of  four  hundred  millions 
of  people  without  homes.  "Without  homes,  because, 
if  made  at  all,  homes  must  be  made  by  women  who 
are  the  result  of  Christianity  and  education.  The 
worth  or  worthlessness  of  home  depends  upon  woman. 


27C  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

As  the  first  step  away  from  brute-life  is  when  human 
beings  are  established  in  well-ordered  homes,  so  the 
advance  of  a  nation  comes  only  through  the  improve- 
ment of  its  homes.  "  A  man  may  build  a  castle  or  a 
palace,"  says  the  English  Frances  Cobbe,  "  but,  poor 
creature, !  be  he  wise  as  Solomon  and  rich  as  Crossus, 
he  cannot  turn  it  into  a  home.  No  masculine  mortal 
can  do  that.  It  is  a  woman  and  only  a  woman— 
a  woman  all  by  herself  if  she  likes,  and  without  any 
man  to  help  her — who  can  turn  a  house  into  a  home" 
She  did  not  forget  Mexico,  "  our  next-door  neighbor," 
than  which  in  no  nation  has  "  the  hand  of  God  in 
history  "  been  more  clearly  seen.  "  We  cannot  ac- 
complish our  result  with  iron-clads  and  armies  and 
bombardment/'  she  said,  "but  when  we  of  Chris- 
tian nations  shall  have  done  the  '  much  required,' 
then  shall  a  glorious  day  dawn  for  the  Orient.  Then 
shall  nations  not  learn  war  any  more.  Then  shall 

'  Some  sweet  bird  of  the  south 
Build  a  nest  in  each  cannon's  moi:;'!. 
Till  the  only  sound  from  its  rusty  ihruat 
Will  1)0  the  wren's  or  the  blue-bird's  note.'  " 

"  I  am  unworthy,"  said  Mrs.  Boardman,  with  a  trem- 
ulous voice,  "to  unloose  the  shoe-latchet  of  her  whom 
I  represent  to-day— she  who,  by  a  life  of  such  won- 
derful love  and  benevolence,  is  interpreting  His  love 
to  miserable  humanity;  she  who  has  left  her  heart 
in  India,  and  will  soon  go  back,  not  to  leave  again 
until  the  pearly  gates  swing  open  to  bid  her  enter ; 


''MucH  REQUIRED."  277 

she  who  is  on  the  roll-call  of  God's  saints,  to  whom 
he  will  say  :  '  I  was  a  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me 
meat :  .  .  .  sick,  and  ye  visited  me :  I  was  in  prison, 
and  ye  came  unto  me :  oppressed  and  down-trodden, 
and  ye  gladly  laid  down  your  life  for  me.  '  Enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord,'  '  to  go  no  more  out 
forever.' " 

A  little  buzzing  of  surprise  had  at  first  greeted  her, 
but  with  the  first  sentence  a  breathless  silence  per- 
vaded the  room.  She  had  met  her  audience,  and 
they  were  hers.  The  missionary  himself  came  next. 
He  was  a  tall,  soldierly  man,  somewhat  bent  by  many 
years  of  labor  under  a  vertical  sun.  Stretching  out 
one  hand  toward  her  and  the  other  toward  her  hear- 
ers, he  said,  impressively,  "  '  I  commend  unto  you 
Phebe  our  sister,  .  .  .  That  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord, 
as  becometh  saints,  and  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatso- 
ever business  she  hath  need  of  you :  for  she '  shall  be 
4  a  succorer  of  many.'  Heaven  bless  her  !  "  Though 
a  short  speech,  it  was  followed  by  such  a  chorus  of 
"  Amens !  "  that  one  might  almost  guess  the  denomi- 
national connection  of  the  ministers.  Believe  me  it 
was  a  wonderful  meeting,  and  its  influence  is  not 
spent  to  this  day. 

Now  it  happened  that  the  sound  of  the  church-bell 
of  St.  Luke's  had  stolen  into  Mr.  Boardman's  count- 
ing-room that  afternoon  with  a  new  suggestion.  He 
looked  at  his  watch  and  meditated  a  full  minute. 
Yes ;  he  had  quite  an  inclination  to  run  over  and  see 


278  ANNALS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE. 

if  this  extraordinary  little  missionary  had  any  thing 
to  say.  Not  that  he  had  any  unmanly  curiosity  in 
the  matter,  but  simply  a  praiseworthy  spirit  of  inves- 
tigation. The  heavy  books  were  closed,  and  he 
reached  the  church  just  in  time  to  see  his  wife  ascend 
the  platform.  When  he  could  recover  from  his  over- 
whelming astonishment  he  acknowledged  to  himself, 
proudly  and  fondly,  that  he  had  always  known  she 
was  remarkably  gifted.  That  a  subject  could  so  absorb 
all  self -consciousness  in  a  position  so  untried,  gave  him 
a  new  and  convincing  proof  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
subject.  "  She  was  right,"  he  thought,  as  he  strode 
back  to  business ;  "  there  is  a  dignity  about  having 
an  earnest  purpose  in  life." 

When  business  was  over  and  he  went  home,  as 
usual,  she  was  in  her  low  rocker  by  the  fire.  Her 
care  for  the  heathen  had  not  caused  her  to  forget  his 
slippers,  which  were  warming. 

"  Well ! "  he  said,  taking  his  chair  and  looking  at 
her  in  a  way  that  expressed  whole  volumes. 

"  Well,"  she  answered,  calmly,  as  if  nothing  more 
unusual  than  an  every-day  occurrence  had  come  to 
pass. 

"  Another  instance,  my  dear,  of  the  instability 
of—" 

"No,  no,"  she  interrupted,  holding  out  her  hand 
in  a  little  protesting  gesture  he  remembered  so  well. 
"  Let  us  renew  our  pledge  again,  you  and  I,"  she 
said,  gently.  "Let  us  promise  to  love,  honor,  and 


"Mucu  REQUIRED."  279 

cherish  this  sacred  cause  so   long  as  we  both  shall 
live/' 

And  he  answered,  as  when,  some  years  before, 
the  question  was  put  a  little  differently  by  a  cler- 
gyman, amid  the  incense  of  orange-blossoms,  "I 
will." 


THE    END. 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  038  492     5 


